


Little Witch Academia: The Grimm War

by Onhiro



Category: Little Witch Academia, RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Angst, End of the World, F/F, F/M, Magical Enemies, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, RWBY crossover, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2020-09-26 22:55:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 63,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20397499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onhiro/pseuds/Onhiro
Summary: Ten years ago, Chariot du Nord reawakened magic with the Grand Triskelion...but shortly after doing so, terrible monsters that would come to be called the Grimm appeared. Nearly impossible to kill with normal weapons, it is discovered that those with a gift for magic can be used to slow the nigh unstoppable onslaught. Magical schools once thought to be becoming obsolescent have been converted to military academies in order to train those that can actually fight against the unearthly monsters currently destroying everything in their paths.Cadet Diana Cavendish is the lead student in all of Luna Nova, and is poised to be one of the best Special Magic Service Witches that Luna Nova has ever produced...if only she didn't have to deal with the transfer student from Japan who is a tragically bumbling ball of ineptitude, Atsuko Kagari...





	1. Just Because You Say We Are Rivals Doesn't Make It True...

**Author's Note:**

> This is the military AU that I first envisioned back when I first came up with the concept of What A Decade Brings. Sliiiightly influenced by Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka in that it is a world where girls who can use magic are used by the military to fight terrible monsters. Unlike MGSOA, there is precious little transformation, and magic isn't the kryptonite of the monsters, it merely allows humans to fight against them on an even playing field. I only have five chapters written so far, but if this receives a positive response with a clear desire for more, I'll pursue writing it more seriously.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cadet Cavendish of the Luna Nova Military Academy for Witches realizes that she actively hates one of her fellow classmates, Recruit Kagari. Unfortunately, her negative emotions build and build over the first two months of the academic year until it finally comes to a head...

Cadet Second Lieutenant Diana Cavendish of the Luna Nova Military Academy for Witches did not loathe very many people. Perhaps it was due to her upbringing in a noble family, where she was expected to put family before feelings, where personal distaste could not take precedence over doing what was best for the Cavendish name. She had encountered some few individuals that she found personally revolting but had been able to set aside her personal feelings and bear their presence with a forced smile. Defense Minister Blackwell certainly fit into this category. But she didn’t despise the man, merely regarded him with a high level of distaste, just as she did her aunt and cousins. Daryl, Merrill, and Maril certainly seemed to be rotten to the core, though they did occasionally do some good deed that would absolve them, even if only for a moment. So even though Diana quite honestly had every right to despise the three of them, she didn’t. If anything at all, their distasteful conduct evoked feelings of shame, of pity, and of frustration. So Diana could say that she truly did not harbor such intense ill will towards many people at all.

That said, Diana Cavendish absolutely _despised_ Recruit Lance Corporal Atsuko Kagari.

The worst part of it was that it was entirely circumstantial, this intense feeling of loathing that burned in her breast every time she so much as saw the brunette witch. Had Luna Nova merely been a school for witches, the way that it had been before the Grand Triskellion had been activated by the world’s most infamous witch, Chariot du Nord, there would be no reason for her to hate the other young lady. If anything, she’d likely be exasperated by the clueless and almost entirely skilless Japanese witch. But now, when the stakes were so very high, Kagari’s lack of skill could literally be deadly, not just for her, but for the other witches around her.

After all, now there were the Creatures of Grimm, and with the Grimm came death.

The unearthly creatures had appeared shortly after magic had been awakened, and had immediately presented a terrible threat to humanity. Even now, a decade after their arrival, so very little was known about them. They attacked humans on sight with bolts of energy and tooth and claw, they were incredibly resistant to mundane guns except when caught in bright sunlight, and they had skin that seemed to absorb all light and eyes that burned like red, malignant stars and their bodies were armored with bony plates and protrusions.

The Grimm came in all shapes and sizes, from quadrupedal forms the size of wolves that were dubbed Beowolves all the way to the towering Titans that stood over ten feet tall and had forms that seemed almost like windows to other dimensions, ones studded with starscapes and amorphous forms that would have been beautiful were they not so terrifying. For the last ten long years the Grimm had been preying upon humanity, and so much had already been lost, entire cities destroyed and vast swaths of territory and countless lives lost. It was almost a cruel irony that the magic that seemed to have called them to Earth was the one thing that actually seemed to work against the monsters, able to hurt and destroy their corporeal forms, banishing them back to wherever it was that they came from. Alas, magic merely leveled the playing field...it only gave humanity a fighting chance, by no means was magic a super-weapon against the Grimm, but it was what they had to fight with. So yes, the stakes were so terribly high, and witches like Atsuko Kagari were more trouble than they were worth, and Diana just _knew_ that Kagari’s recklessness was going to do far more damage than good.

Perhaps she could have ignored the Japanese witch and let the system sort her out (or kick her out, as was far more likely) but that was made an impossibility the very first day that they met, the first day of their second term. September 1st, 2020, a day Diana would remember for the rest of her life. The opening ceremony had just begun when a leyline portal had opened up in the middle of the room, depositing Recruit Private Jansson and the two new transfers, Recruits Kagari and Manbavaran on the floor. It was all entirely unorthodox and should have resulting in their immediate expulsion as an unregulated leyline portal could have led the Grimm directly onto the Luna Nova grounds. Adding insult to injury was the fact that while Manbavaran and Jansson were in the proper uniform, Kagari was still in the uniform of the JSDF, despite the fact that Diana _knew_ that the welcoming pamphlet specified which uniform to wear prior to the opening ceremonies, transfer student from a foreign military academy or not.

As the lead cadet of their year (and honestly as a small form of mercy…the 3rd Year students were not known to be kind or merciful in their dealings of even small infractions) she had made it a point to introduce herself to the wayward cadet after the ceremony and tell her to shape up or else she might get drummed out of the program. Kagari had merely blinked out her for a second before she had asked if Diana was the best cadet at the school. Of course Hannah and Barbara had very quickly confirmed that yes, she was, while adding in several insults that Diana felt were beneath one of her station to use even if she felt that they were applicable to the brunette standing before her.

And then, the unthinkable. Kagari had merely grinned, sticking out her hand, crimson eyes almost sparkling with a good humor that she should _not_ be feeling, given the circumstances. “Hi, I’m Atsuko Kagari, but you can call me Akko! Just so you know, we’re rivals, and I’m totally gonna beat you!” she said in slightly accented but still well-spoken English. Any admiration of Kagari’s command of the language was, of course, immediately and absolutely overwhelmed by the audacity of the words themselves.

The nerve! The absolute boorish nerve of such a statement! Here was a recruit who had only just made the opening ceremony by the narrowest of incredibly risky margins, who wasn’t even in the proper uniform, and who apparently thought it was acceptable to make such an outlandish claim! Diana could only stare at her, so utterly aghast that her mouth literally hung open in shock, the first time it had ever done so in her entire life. Hannah recovered first after some absolutely furious spluttering.

“Are you mental?!” she nearly screeched. “This is Diana _Cavendish_!”

The Japanese cadet’s head had tilted to the side as she frowned, obviously puzzled. “And I’m Akko Kagari, what’s your point?”

Before Hannah or Barbara could retort (or quite possibly hex the other girl, which was entirely possible given Hannah’s temper) Colonel Finnelan descended upon the four of them, coldly furious as she ordered Kagari to report to Commandant Holbrooke, and Diana had noticed Manbavaran and Jansson standing contritely behind the second-in-command of Luna Nova. Well. The matter was to be resolved by the commander of all of Luna Nova, then. Commandant Holbrooke would definitely have the ability to disenroll Kagari from the program and send her back to Japan. Diana fully expected her last sight of the strange witch to be the brunette following after Colonel Finnelan, shooting one last almost curious glance over her shoulder at Diana, her red eyes briefly meeting Diana’s blue eyes.

Imagine her bloody surprise the very next morning when Kagari was present for morning exercises, loud and grating on the nerves as she chattered away excitedly, seemingly oblivious at how everyone else seemed to shy away from her, not wanting to be seen interacting with the one who was already deemed _that_ student…the troublemaker, the black sheep, the one to avoid. Diana felt sorry for the other two on Kagari’s team…team makeup was permanent for the term, and so they _couldn’t_ get away from the audacious brunette, not if they wanted to graduate and make it into the 25th Special Magic Service Regiment, the premier military unit fighting against the Grimm, as hosted by the British Military.

At first Diana rather regarded the other girl as a sad joke, someone to pity rather than actually take seriously, but it seemed as though Kagari was absolutely determined to remind Diana that they were rivals at every opportunity, a declaration that was invariably followed by the Japanese witch doing something stupid and dangerous. Diana thought that the American Amanda O’Neill and her team of degenerates was bad given their conduct during first term, but all three of them together were undoubtedly the better option when compared with the walking disaster that was Atsuko Kagari.

Within the first month that initial pity started to turn into derision, which was very quickly followed by a keen sense of hatred when it became clear that Kagari, for all of her bluster and boasting, was not actually taking things nearly as seriously as she should. She did have a good grasp of military tactics and strategies and was a good marksman with the various firearms that they trained on, and she was incredibly fit, but for all of that, her magic skills were subpar across the board. It didn’t matter if she was strong when the weakest witches could cast strengthening magic and overpower her with ease. It didn’t matter if she could hit the targets with no issue if she couldn’t figure out the simple spell to augment her bullets with magical energy. It didn’t matter that she understood military tactics if she couldn’t bloody well apply magic to said tactics! She might have made a good soldier…but she was a terrible witch, and she was going to get somebody killed!

Perhaps if she had simply shown that she was really trying to improve, Diana wouldn’t have despised her the way that she did. But it seemed like every class having anything at all to do with magic had Kagari either not paying attention and doodling in her notebooks or even falling asleep. It was perhaps a bit petty of Diana, but whenever she was called upon, she made sure to answer promptly and with absolute accuracy. Of course, it was very likely that Kagari was entirely oblivious to the subtle message that Diana was trying to convey: _you claim to be my rival, but are so far below my level that you aren’t even worth my notice_. A shame, then, that she _did_ take up so much of Diana’s attention. As time dragged on, it seemed as though Diana couldn’t help but focus on Kagari, hating this cancerous loathing that she felt for the other girl, but how could she _not_ despise her? There was so very much at risk, the Grimm killed more people by the day, they were in a war that they were _losing_, and this second…no, _third_…no, not even third, this _no rate_ witch from a nation with barely any witching tradition who could barely fly and who only seemed to have gained a modicum of proficiency in the simplest metamorphosis magic wasn’t taking it seriously.

One day Diana had finally snapped, unable to maintain the cool demeanor she usually managed to keep up. “Why are you even _here_?” she had almost snarled in the cafeteria, and the tables surrounding them had grown quiet, the cadet witches around them looking on almost hungrily at what might turn into a fight.

Kagari had simply rocked slightly back in her seat, expression surprised. “Why, because of Shiny Chariot, of course.”

Shiny Chariot. Diana had only _just_ managed to keep her face free of the fury that had burned fiercely at the stage name of Chariot du Nord, the woman that she had once looked up to back before magic was awakened, back before the Grimm, back to when du Nord was merely a performer, not Lieutenant du Nord, one of the first Special Magic Service Witches. She was the one who had awakened magic, she was the one who was responsible for the Grimm being interested in Earth, she was the reason why Diana’s mother had…

No, a poisonous thought. Diana had grit her teeth, swallowed her rage. “I would be careful,” she had warned, voice quiet and deadly but carrying in the sudden stillness that gripped the expansive room. “That is not a name well received in this school, by the students _or_ the staff.”

Kagari had frowned angrily at that, the intensity of the expression surprising Diana. “Why?! She’s a great witch who inspired so many people in the world!”

The world was pulsing at the edges, and Diana was _almost_ seeing red. Her voice quivered with emotion when she replied, hands tightening into fists so tightly that she could feel her nails digging into her palms. “If she’s so great, why did she disappear when she tried to find and destroy the origin point of the Grimm? Why was it that that mission ended with an entire city being destroyed?! Be very careful who you proclaim to be great, you ignorant little girl!” She had whirled and stalked off at that point, knowing that if she stayed any longer she’d very lucky if she didn’t punch the boorish recruit in the face. She had noticed Captain Callistis, the newest of the cadre members staring down at the scene from the walkways above the canteen with an unreadable expression, eyes slightly obscured behind her glasses, but Diana dismissed the slight feeling of unease at the Captain’s presence. She had likely merely been there to ensure that if a fight did break out, that she could stop it immediately. Diana had felt rather proud that it hadn’t gotten to that point, that she had distanced herself from the situation before it came to violence.

Thankfully, Kagari seemed to have finally gotten something of a hint, and she had grown subdued for the week following the small confrontation, even seeming to pay attention in class, resulting in her GPA staying just high enough for her to stay in the course. Not that Diana was keeping such close track of the other student’s coursework, of course. Right? Right.

Unfortunately, all good things had to come to an end. Their first major field training exercise that was held in the week before Samhain Night had just wrapped up, this one four days long and spent entirely in the portion of Arcturus Forest closest to Luna Nova and that had various training sites like a mock city block created with magic set up within it. The first three days had gone well, with the individual three witch teams being graded separately from one another, and Diana had felt a certain sense of displeasure when the Red Team managed to score higher than some of the other groups, though Diana had no earthly idea how Kagari managed that. The Red Team was still nowhere close to the Blue Team, but the fact that they weren’t at the bottom of the rankings where they belonged _irked_ Diana.

And then the final day, the first day spent working as a larger unit. It had all been going so well, right up until Kagari tried to pull one of her signature harebrained schemes that put her and her teammates _right_ in the path of Diana’s magic strikes that were supposed to simulate laying down a magical bombardment on a group of Grimm. Diana had only just managed to redirect the spell at the very last moment, missing her target, resulting in the first less than perfect score her team had ever gotten since the beginning of First Term earlier in the year. She had tried to complain to the cadre, but they had all been apathetic, telling her that war was chaotic, and that while Kagari was being Kagari, she had to be prepared for such eventualities in the field. They wouldn’t change her score.

To say Diana was furious was a vast understatement. She stormed into the locker room immediately after the field exercise ended, her combat uniform and tactical gear still covered with the mud and dust of the field, and she grit her teeth as she pulled her helmet off and threw it against the lockers with an enraged cry. The helmet crashed loudly against the sheet metal of the lockers before it hit the floor with a hollow bang, and it skittered across the tiles, spinning wildly as it did so. Diana was too mad to go and pick it up, too angry to care about the dent she had left in the lockers. When she had the chance to calm down, she’d fix it with magic, but she knew that if she tried to correct it now, there was a good chance she’d blow everything up in a fit of rage. How _dare_ Kagari’s actions disrupt Diana’s perfect record!

She stomped deeper into the room before sitting down on one of the wooden benches running down the middle of each row of lockers, and she dropped her head into her gloved hands, not caring about the dirt and muck on the gloves that she was getting in her functionally short blonde hair. It was already dirty enough after four days of hard training and no washing, matted and sweaty and chaotic from wearing her helmet…who cared if she got just a little bit more dirt in her hair?

She sighed explosively, anger still roiling in her chest. _Damn that Kagari_, she thought savagely to herself. _Stupid fool is going to get people killed someday! If it were up to me, she’d be kicked out of the program!_ She was again struck heavily by the realization that she wouldn’t care so much about Kagari’s ineptitude so much if there were no Grimm. But those monsters existed, terribly real and horrifyingly dangerous. So when sub-par witches like Kagari actively interfered in the training of witches who actually gave a bloody damn-!

The door opened, and Diana lifted her head, hoping to see either Hannah or Barbara, but to her dismay and frustration, the object of her ire stuck her head in the door with a sheepish expression.

“What?” Diana asked, voice cold enough to freeze a glacier, and one could almost _see_ the sweatdrop form on the side of Kagari’s face.

“Heeeey, just wanted to, uh, to apologize…” she said, and the contrite words only served to make Diana even angrier.

“Apologize?” she snapped, and then scoffed. “You don’t even know what you’re apologizing for!”

Kagari frowned slightly at that. “Hey, at least I’m trying to do the right thing!”

Diana was standing now, hands on her hips as she glared at the Japanese witch. “The right thing would be for you to give up thoughts of being an SMS Witch and dropping out of the program right now! You do realize that you are the _worst_ student in Luna Nova right now, yes?”

Kagari was now visibly angry, and she came fully into the locker room, her own clothes and gear just as dirty as Diana’s, and she crossed her arms over her tactical plate carrier loaded down with magazine and grenade pouches that were empty, all weapons and ammo having been turned in by now. “Hey, I’m trying my hardest out there!”

Diana sneered. “Your hardest? Kagari, if that was your hardest, then you really need to drop out! Your _hardest_ is going to get someone killed!”

“But Shiny Chariot said that-” Kagari pouted, and her hero worship of _that_ particular witch finally drove Diana over the edge, all the rage and loathing that had built up to this point demanding a release.

Her clenched fist slammed into the locker closest to her, the hard plastic shell covering the knuckles crashing against the metal. “_Lef_-tenant du Nord is a disgrace to all SMS Witches!” Diana snarled. “She may have been flashy in her hey-day, but if she was so good at what she did, then why in the name of the Nine did she disappear?! No body, no evidence of her death…who’s to say that she didn’t up and join the Grimm?!”

Now Kagari was up in her face, glaring up at her with angrily glittering crimson eyes, her face red with anger. “Say what you want about me, but how dare you talk bad about Shiny Chariot! She inspired so many witches to join the fight before she disappeared! You don’t talk bad about her, or…or…!”

“Or what?” Diana snapped, voice mocking.

Aaaand that was when Kagari punched her in the face. Needless to say, the conversation rather broke down at that point…


	2. Roommates?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting caught fighting, Cadet Cavendish and Recruit Kagari report before Commandant Holbrooke in order to receive their punishment. However, neither of them could see what the commanding officer of Luna Nova decides on doing coming!

“Utterly disgraceful!”

Commandant Holbrooke’s voice cracked through the air like a whip as Diana and Kagari stood at the position of attention before her desk. Holbrooke was flanked by Colonel Finnelan and Captain Callistis, their faces stiff. The whole situation had Diana reeling, the shock of being in front of Commandant Holbrooke for a disciplinary issue was honestly worse than the aches and pains from the brawl she had with Kagari. And what a brawl it had been! Kagari had kept up the pressure, not letting Diana go for her wand, thus denying her access to magic that would have given her a huge edge over the Japanese witch. Instead it had come to straight fisticuffs, and damned if Diana didn’t have a grudging admiration for Kagari’s skill and strength. Diana had been hard-pressed to hold her own, much less beat the other witch.

As it just so happened, Major Nelson had been passing by the locker room and had heard the commotion, and had rushed in and broken up the fight before immediately escorting the both of them to the Commandant’s office. They had been questioned separately before being called before Holbrooke, and now stood there, waiting for her judgement, still filthy from the field and with the injuries from the fight fresh on their bodies. Most notably, Kagari had a rapidly swelling eye, and Diana had a split lip and dried blood on her upper lip from a blow that had caught her in the nose. And now Commandant Holbrooke was glaring at both them, eyes glittering angrily.

“Utterly disgraceful,” she repeated, voice venomous. “If this truly how you think Luna Nova Students should behave? This isn’t bloody Beacon Academy! I am severely disappointed in the both of you, but _especially_ with you, Cadet Cavendish!”

Diana blinked, floored by the words, and she felt like she had to defend her position. “Ma’am, I must-!”

She was immediately cut off by Colonel Finnelan’s furious voice. “You will speak when asked a direct question, Cadet, and not before!”

Never before had she ever been admonished like this, never! She swallowed thickly, suddenly aware of the sweat running between her shoulder blades and down her back. She was in uncharted waters, and felt unmoored, uncertain of what the next five minutes would bring. Fighting another student outside of hand-to-hand combatives or on other training exercises was strictly forbidden and could result in expulsion…

Commandant Holbrooke let a tense beat pass before she continued. “You are supposed to be the cadet who sets the example for the rest of the members of your year group, and yet here you are brawling with a recruit. What do you have to say in your defense?”

Her answer came instantly. “Recruit Kagari threw the first punch, ma’am.”

“Yes, this is true. But only after you sorely provoked her.”

“Ma’am?” Diana blurted, and Colonel Finnelan bristled again, but backed down without saying anything when Commandant made a small gesture with her hand.

“Recruit Kagari was attempting to apologize for what happened in the field today, and you returned the gesture by telling her she should quit. Further, you demeaned her, and then perhaps worst of all, you insulted and levied a very serious accusation against a Commissioned Officer of the SMS Regiment! I do not need to remind you that that is an action punishable under the Code of Military Justice, do I?”

Diana’s jaw worked furiously for a moment. “No, ma’am, you do not.” This was worse than she thought. If brought before a court martial, she could face fines and imprisonment if convicted, and looking at the stony faces of the three officers before her, she had no idea which way this was going to go. “Permission to speak?”

“Granted.”

“Ma’am, you are familiar with my family’s history. You know where my mother was when Lieutenant du Nord went on her last mission before she disappeared. My words were more heated than they need be, but it does not change the fact that Lieutenant de Nord’s last mission ended on very suspicious circumstances.”

The three cadre members glanced at one another, silently speaking with their eyes. Then Commandant Holbrooke again turned her attention on the two of them. “We know more of Lieutenant du Nord and her final mission than you could possibly imagine, Cadet. I assure you, Lieutenant du Nord stayed true to her mission to the last.” She paused before turning slightly to regard Kagari with sharp eyes. “You’ve been awfully quiet for one with your exuberance, Recruit Lance Corporal. Do you have anything to add to the discussion?”

Kagari’s softly accented voice bore no hesitation as she answered with crisp precision. “Ma’am, it is just as you said. I attempted to apologize, Cadet Cavendish insulted me and Lieutenant du Nord. I struck her first, and then we began to fight.”

Commandant Holbrooke pursed her lips, and once again, an uneasy silence fell over the room. Then she finally sighed. “We are not so cruel as to expel either of you for your first infraction of this sort, but something must be done.” Then she grinned, and Diana felt a flicker of unease run through her at the wolfish expression. “As I said, I am most disappointed in you, Cadet Cavendish. You said that Recruit Kagari is the worst cadet in the program. Not only is that categorically a false statement, but isn’t it your duty as lead cadet for your term to help build up those students who are struggling?”

Diana felt a sinking feeling in her gut as she realized exactly where the Commandant was going. _Oh. Oh no._

There was no hesitation and absolutely no yield in Commandant Holbrooke’s voice as she continued. “We are a team, and teammates support one another. You are our best student, Cadet Cavendish, so you are to support Recruit Kagari completely. As such, Recruit Kagari’s grades are now your grades. What she scores on exams and during evaluations will be your scores. You will tutor her. Train her. Coach her. You will be both be moved to a room together. You will do _everything_ together. If Kagari fails, it is because you have failed her as well as your family’s legacy. This is your mission…do _not_ disappoint me!” She paused again before returning her attention to the paperwork on her desk. “Dismissed.”

Diana and Kagari marched out of the office, and all the while Diana tried to wrap her mind around the herculean task she had just been assigned. Where was she even going to begin? But before she could really go down that rabbit hole of frantic thought, she heard her name being called out behind her, and she turned to find Captain Callistis walking towards her. “Ma’am?” she asked, curious as to what the older witch wanted.

“Do you have a minute?” Captain Callistis asked, and Diana didn’t mean to glance down at her filthy clothes, but she did, and Callistis was quick to almost frantically wave her hands about in what was likely supposed to be a reassuring manner. “Seriously, it won’t take long at all, I promise!”

Even if whatever the Captain wanted took the rest of the day, Diana would have to do it. She didn’t point this out, however. It was odd how the older woman was so bashful in her demeanor. One couldn’t become a teacher at Luna Nova without extensive magical combat experience against the Grimm, and that usually gave a sense of confidence. Strange how it almost seemed like if you looked at Callistis funny, she would run away in a panic. Making a mental note to herself to look up the combat records of the witch before her, Diana merely nodded and followed the dark blue haired woman into a nearby empty classroom. “Ma’am?” she asked again once the door shut behind them, and Captain Callistis smiled at her in an almost motherly way. Oddly, it didn’t fill Diana with the sense of anger and resentment that she usually felt when people tried to smile at her like that.

“I’ve noticed you have a problem with Akko,” Callistis said gently, and Diana almost snorted. As if that wasn’t the understatement of the century!

“I don’t believe that one regularly gets into fisticuffs with those that they hold in warm regards.” Immediately after she said it, Diana wished she could take it back, especially given how snarkily she had said it. Not wise to speak to a superior officer like that!

But to her surprise, Captain Callistis merely chuckled. “Too true! But I mean before that. You’ve been angry with her from the moment she arrived. Why?”

Diana hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to continue, but then she began to talk, and oh, by the Nine if it wasn’t such a relief to finally get some of this off of her chest! Was this really what she had needed, what she had wanted? For someone to actually notice her feelings and ask her about them, so that she could have an audience to vent her frustrations, her anger, her loathing upon? Finally, after what felt like an eternity of pacing and venting, Diana finally ended the tirade with: “And I can’t believe that she really sees us as rivals! As if a girl like that could ever rival someone like me! I outclass her in every regard!”

By this point, Captain Callistis was sitting on top of the teacher’s desk, regarding Diana with a calm, understanding expression. She nodded once it was clear that Diana was done speaking. “That’s all very valid. You feel as though Akko isn’t trying hard enough, that she’s just goofing off. But I will say that I think you aren’t seeing the whole story. You only see things from your perspective.” Her head tilted thoughtfully to the side, her glasses winking in the afternoon light. “Did you know that I was the one who assessed Akko? While Commandant Holbrooke did the final authorization for Akko’s transfer, I was the one who represented Luna Nova during her assessment. Do you know what I noticed?”

“What?” Diana asked, unable to keep some of the curiosity she felt out of her voice. What was it that Captain Callistis noticed that made Kagari so bloody special?

“That Akko was absolutely terrible with magic.”

Diana blinked, then frowned. “Then why is she here?!”

Captain Callistis held up a soothing hand. “She’s terrible with magic because she’s almost entirely self-taught using poorly translated manuals. Japan does not have any witching schools. They do have a very long history of priestesses, and I imagine life would have been far easier for Akko if she was gifted in that way rather than with witching magic. But she took what gift she had and taught herself to fly, taught herself what little magic she knew prior to coming here. She also learned English only a few years ago specifically to be able to come to Luna Nova. And when she arrived, she had to immediately start learning several new languages in the various tongues used when casting magic or reading magical tomes.

“But it’s not her skill with magic, or rather the lack thereof, that had me choose her. It’s because of her spirit.” Captain Callistis sighed as she looked out the windows at the sky. “She has one of the most remarkably stubborn and bubbly personalities that I have ever encountered. If she manages to improve her magical skills to the point that she graduates this program, I truly feel as though she is going to be exactly what we need out in the field.” Her attention returned to Diana, this time thoughtful. “Have you noticed how people flock to her, how she doesn’t hold a grudge against anyone? She even managed to tame some of O’Neill’s wildness!”

Diana had noticed that but wasn’t entirely convinced that it was a good thing, honestly. There were all sorts of reasons why a friendship between O’Neill and Kagari should worry just about anyone with a brain…

“Oh, and about her not being your rival…well, I would suggest that you more carefully go through the various class leadings again. Just because she can’t hope to match you in anything magic doesn’t mean that she can’t be your rival. After all, very few of the cadre here could actually match you in terms of magical skill. That said, I really do think that this whole situation might actually be more beneficial than you might care to admit. I think once you see some things more from Kagari’s point, you might be more sympathetic to her situation.” She hopped off the desk, offering one last smile. “Now, I daresay that you want to shower and change. After that some of the school’s servants will help you move your kit to your new room. Welcome to the next chapter of your time here at Luna Nova!”

xxxXXXxxx

Understandably, Hannah and Barbara had _not_ taken the news very well at all. Diana had told them after she had a chance to shower, heal her injuries, and get changed into a fresh uniform. Predictably, Hannah had been nearly apoplectic in rage, whereas Barbara had seemed almost crushed by the news. “But…” she started, voice cracking as tears started to gather in her eyes, “we’ve _always_ been together.”

This was true. After the Grimm Invasion, there had been so much chaos all over the world as everyone tried to flee from the inexorable advances. The Parkers and Englands had always been close to the Cavendish family, and had served as their retainers during the Middle Ages. The Cavendish family remembered that well when the Grimm attacked, and made sure that they had taken in the other two families, housing them on the Cavendish Estate, which was protected by powerful enchantments that even the Grimm hadn’t managed to crack. Currently and with its proximity to the protective spells of the Cavendish Estate, Wedinburgh was a vital staging point for the Regiment, the British military, and the other NATO forces. But Barbara was correct. For over a decade, Hannah and Barbara had been her nearly constant companions, though Diana did sometimes wish that they were true friends, and not…well, not subordinates. They fawned over her, constantly sticking up for her and acting as her personal cheer section, even when it wasn’t necessary. It was tiring, sometimes. Still, given exactly who she was going to be living with, she would have much rather stayed with the two of them. “It’s going to be okay,” Diana promised. “We’re still on the same team, we just won’t be living in the same room.”

Hannah smacked her fist into her palm. “That bloody chav, I bet she planned this! She needs to go!”

Diana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “She wasn’t exactly skipping for joy during the disciplinary meeting with Commandant Holbrooke. I don’t know how she feels about this all, but I highly doubt she planned it.”

“She still needs to get kicked out of the program,” Hannah countered, rather mulishly.

“No, she doesn’t. Remember, if she does so poorly that she gets kicked out of the program, then I’ll get kicked out of the program. Her grades are now my grades.”

“Then…” Barbara started, voice slow and thoughtful, “what if she voluntarily leaves?”

Diana didn’t answer, though honestly, that really would be the best option. If she left voluntarily rather than because she failed out, then Diana should be able to stay. But she couldn’t see the stubborn girl ever choosing to leave.

A knock at the door, and she strode briskly over to the portal before opening it, revealing a trio of Luna Nova goblins. The benefit of being in a military academy was that, for the most part, they didn’t have very many belongings, in keeping with a Spartan lifestyle befitting a soldier. Between herself and the three servants, she’d be completely moved into the new room in one trip. That didn’t stop the pang of regret that twinged her heart as she took one more look around the room. At least it wasn’t as though she was forbidden from coming here again…with that thought in mind, she had decided to leave the overwhelming majority of her books here. Firstly, it would take a great deal of effort to move what amounted a small library’s worth of texts to another room, and secondly, she did not trust Kagari around the books, some of which were quite old and invaluable. Plus, leaving some of her things in here made it feel as though this move was only temporary, that she would return shortly once this Kagari debacle was over and done with.

And so, with very brief hugs with Hannah and Barbara (after all, personal displays of affection were forbidden whilst in uniform), she gathered up her duffel bags whilst the goblins collected her rucksack, assault pack, and foot locker. Sparing the room that had been her Luna Nova home up to this point, she sighed and left, heading towards the unknown, heading towards the chaotic…heading towards Kagari.

xxxXXXxxx

It didn’t take very long to make the trek to her new room, though she could feel her mouth tightening with displeasure with every step that she took. She had known that the new room wasn’t going to be in the nicer wing of the quarters, but it was something else entirely to actually walk deeper into the areas reserved for witches from more common bloodlines. This was not to say that they were bad rooms, because they weren’t…but they were more in keeping with college dorm rooms or barracks rooms for most armies, whereas she had been in the area used by witches from more illustrious backgrounds. She knew it was rather blue blooded of her, but she had grown used to the comfort provided by her expansive room that had more amenities than the standard room. Oh, she definitely could live in a standard room, but she wasn’t going to be happy about it, especially given _why_ she was moving to a standard room and _who_ she was going to be rooming with.

Speaking of, Kagari must have gotten to the room before her, which was just perfect. No doubt she’d take the best bunk. Diana wasn’t one for using base slurs when speaking of others, but deep down in her heart, she was in agreement with Hannah’s earlier insult: Kagari _was_ a chav, and Diana was going to hate rooming with the one recruit she actively despised. Thus, as they approached the small room that was tucked away at the end of a corridor, Diana steeled herself for the confrontation that was sure to follow.

Imagine her surprise, then, when the door swung open to reveal Kagari perched on her footlocker, a bored expression on her still bruised face as she idly kicked her feet, the rest of her gear piled around her. A quick glance around the room revealed that it was small enough that Diana suspected that it had previously been a closet rather than a full room, and that neither the top or bottom bunk of the bunkbed had any linens on it. Had Kagari not actually claimed her spot yet?

At Diana’s arrival, though, Kagari leaped to her feet, and almost timid look on her face. “Oh, good, you’re here. Which, um, which bunk did you want?” she asked in that slightly accented voice of hers, and Diana couldn’t help but think about what Captain Callistis had said earlier. One really couldn’t tell that Kagari had only just recently learned English, and for a moment, unease flickered through Diana. Just how smart really was the cadet standing in front of her?

“You didn’t choose already?” Diana asked, voice cold as the goblins deposited her belongings and departed silently, and Kagari flinched slightly.

“N-no, of course not. You’re my senior, it would be rude.”

_Well. I suppose she does have _some_ decorum, then._ “Very well. I’ll take the bottom bunk.”

Kagari nodded, and Diana’s eyes flicked to how the odd half-bangs that Kagari wore (were those actually in regulation?) brushed against the expansive bruise around Kagari’s eye…the bruise that Diana herself had put there. Kagari didn’t have anyone heal that for her. Sighing wearily, Diana drew her wand as Kagari was turning away. “Hang on a moment,” she muttered, and Kagari paused, eyes flitting down to the wand in Diana’s hand before returning warily to Diana’s face. “Oh, nothing like that, calm down. I’m just going to heal your bruise. It’s unsightly.”

Kagari didn’t move as Diana cast the spell, and the swelling and mottling diminished to the point where all that remained was a faint yellow tinge around the eye, a tinge that wouldn’t be noticeable from a distance. Kagari still stood still for a moment after Diana collapsed her wand and returned it to her hip. “Thank you,” she finally said before returning her attention to her belongings.

“No thanks are needed,” Diana retorted stiffly. “As I said, it was unsightly, Recruit Kagari.”

She was not expecting the shy smile aimed at her as Kagari began to hang up her uniforms into the wall locker the farthest from the bunks. “Still, thank you. And again, you can call me Akko. We’re roommates, after all.”

Diana sniffed haughtily. “I’m not your friend, I’d rather use your last name.”

Kagari rolled her eyes, puffing out her cheeks as she huffed with annoyance. “_Mou_. I didn’t say we were friends, I said we were _roommates_. And anyway, everyone calls me Akko, not just my friends.”

She was right, wasn’t she? Even Captain Callistis had referred her to as Akko, hadn’t she? “Fine,” Diana grudgingly said. “But let’s make a deal out of it. I am supposed to teach you to be a better student. You do everything I tell you to, and I’ll call you Akko.”

Once again, she wasn’t expecting the reaction that she got. Kagar…err, _Akko_’_s _face lit up with a bright grin. “_Yatta_!” she exclaimed with a fist pump. “I did it, I finally got you to open up a little!”

Diana could just _feel_ the headache growing, and she grimaced. How was she going to live with someone like _this_? “I’m plenty open, _Akko_. And I’m serious about what I said. You need to follow my orders.”

“_Hai_!” Akko chirped as she popped to attention and snapped off a jaunty salute, and Diana rolled her eyes, deciding not to remind her new roommate that one didn’t salute indoors except under very specific circumstances, of which this wasn’t one of them.

“First, put your things away properly. Colonel Finnelan takes room inspections very seriously, and you’ll get negative marks for not following the proper regulations.”

Akko’s face fell slightly at that, an almost bitter look flashing through her eyes. “It doesn’t matter _what_ I do or how I put away my stuff. She always finds something wrong and gigs me for it, no matter how careful I am. That Colonel Finnelan really has it out for me!”

“You’ve never had me as a roommate. My standards are at least as good as that of the cadre. I will assist you.” That said, she started to put her own things away, even as she tried to process the emotions roiling within her breast. This was perhaps the most she interacted with Akko since she met her, and what she was wasn’t quite what Diana expected. She had expected some anger, some derision, especially after their fight, but there was none of that. “Don’t…don’t you hate me?” she asked, and Akko froze where she was putting away her undergarments in the top drawer of her wall locker.

Akko turned incredulous eyes on her. “Hate you? Why would I hate you?”

“We only _just_ had a fistfight, as I recall,” Diana snorted. “You don’t have fistfights with your friends!”

Akko laughed. “You’ve never been friends with Amanda, then!” Then her expression sobered. “But no, I don’t hate you. If anything, I almost admire you! You’re so cool, and you can do stuff so easily! I just wish you weren’t so…I dunno…stuffy. You’re always so prim and proper, it’s like you don’t know how to relax. Still, it’s obvious why you are the best in the class…no one else can compare!”

Diana could almost _feel_ the large crack form in the wall of derision that she had built around her heart. “Right,” she said slowly, thoughtfully. “Well. I’m glad to hear that you don’t hate me. You may hate me in short order, though. As I said, I have very high standards.” And with those words, she remembered Barbara’s statement earlier, that perhaps it would be best if Akko left voluntarily. Akko might not be as terrible as she had thought, but that didn’t change the fact that she really should be removed from the program, if only because it might save many lives down the road. Hating herself for what she had to do to this bubbly witch, Diana nonetheless hardened her heart and steeled herself for what lay ahead. _If nothing else_, she thought as she turned and regarded Akko putting away her clothes, _one of the lives you might be saving could very well be hers._

Resolute now, she walked up behind her new roommate, and sure enough, the clothes in the drawers were not laid out per standards. _By the Nine, do you have to make it so easy_? Diana thought with a twinge to her heart. Still, it must be done. “Wrong,” she said, voice cold and hard as steel. Her hands twitched as she almost reached and emptied the drawer onto the floor. No, that could come later if it proved necessary. “Fix this drawer. Now.”

For her part, Akko seemed surprised by Diana’s sudden change in demeanor, and she turned confused, almost hurt eyes on her. “Diana?”

“That’s Cadet Cavendish to you,” Diana almost snapped, and Akko flinched at the sharp rebuke, and Diana’s heart twinged again. “At least during duty hours,” she said more gently. “After hours, we can use first names, but right now, I am going to start turning you into a proper student. Fix this drawer, Recruit Lance Corporal. _Now_.”

Akko didn’t look happy, but she did start to do as she was told as Diana started to pace behind her with precise strides. _Stick to the script, no more weakness like that first name business_! It would have been better to use last names only, but just the way that Akko had reacted had…no, something to think about later. Clearing her throat, she started to speak. “Recruit Kagari, I assure you that you haven’t met a demon like me before. You thought that Colonel Finnelan was cruel? Before the end, you’re going to be wishing that she was the one stuck with you, not me.” She paused, glaring down at Akko as the Japanese witch rearranged the drawer with a stony face. “During the duty day, I will be on your case every single minute. If you make a mistake, I will correct you. Anything less than perfect will not be tolerated. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The reply was surprisingly emotionless, though Diana didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing.

“Very well. Then let us begin in earnest.”

Both of their lives had been altered forever by Commandant Holbrooke’s order, but one thing was for certain. Diana was going to do as ordered, and be the demon that straightened Akko up. Akko would either become one of the better Luna Nova students…or she would leave on her own volition because she couldn’t handle the pressure.

…and what was that tiny corner of Diana’s heart that earnestly hoped it would be the former, and not the latter?


	3. The Touch Between Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being Akko's roommate has definitely opened Diana's eyes in ways she didn't expect, giving her a deeper appreciation of just how hard Akko is actually working to stay in Luna Nova. But there is one thing that Diana does wish for: Akko's touch. It seemed as though the Japanese witch is always touching her friends in casual displays of affection that Diana yearns for, though she can't quite say why...

It was…strange, being the constant companion of Recruit Akko Kagari, Diana mused just over a month after their arrangement began. The girl had nearly boundless energy, and keeping her on any given task was a herculean chore in and of itself. Diana discovered early on that Akko did much better if she was focused on something new whenever she started getting bored with one thing. But Diana had been on the mark with her suspicions on the day that they had been moved into the same room: Akko was certainly not dumb, she just had difficulty on focusing on one thing and none of the cadre (outside of Captain Callistis) ever bothered to try and work with Akko rather than force her into the rigid teaching style. Given that this was a military academy, however, that really wasn’t surprising.

Of course, this wasn’t to say that Diana had grown soft with her demeanor with Akko. No, she still demanded perfection, pushing Akko to her very limits, but Diana did have her own pride at being a good tutor to defend. It was better to pander to Akko’s learning style in order to maximize the returns of their time together. She had already had some of the cadre approaching her, expressing disbelief at how much Akko had improved in the short time that Diana had been working with her. Diana had responded to such praise with a polite nod, even while she seethed inside. Perhaps if they had just paid attention to Akko’s mannerisms, they would have taught her better, and then Diana didn’t have to spend every minute of the day together.

Apparently, Commandant Holbrooke had been quite literal in that Diana was supposed to be Akko’s constant companion. Another flicker of anger at that thought…they never spoke harshly to Diana about it, but when Colonel Finnelan caught Akko alone after the duty day and before curfew when she had been going to visit her two friends, she had been given a sharp dressing down for not being with Diana. The blatant favoritism had angered Diana more than she had expected it to, but she had resolved to not let Akko get punished for something that she should have had every bloody right to do. It was after duty hours, for Jennifer’s sake!

From that point forward, Diana made certain that they did everything together. They ate all meals together. They studied together. They showered at the same time. Diana didn’t even let Akko go to the latrine unaccompanied, because she quite honestly wouldn’t put it past some of the cadre to berate Akko for the simple action of using the loo without Diana waiting outside the latrine for her. And being the constant companion of someone…it definitely changed how one felt about them.

Diana had expected for her anger and loathing to grow by leaps and bounds, but it was rather the opposite. Captain Callistis had been right when she said that Diana hadn’t seen things from Akko’s perspective. Now that she was constantly with her, it…well, it opened her eyes.

Save for her core group of friends from the Red and Green teams and Captain Callistis (and maybe Major Meridies, but Diana always had difficulty reading the Italian witch), there was no one who liked Akko. The other students kept their distance at best, openly mocked and insulted her at worst. The cadre called Akko out on every little thing that she did wrong, and Diana had spent a ridiculous amount of time supervising Akko while she served various detentions for minor infractions. Sometimes the punishment was well and truly earned (Diana still didn’t know how Akko had managed to make her oatmeal do _that_ in the span of the few minutes Diana had turned her attention away to catch up with Hannah and Barbara!) but for the most part it was small, petty things.

And yet Akko remained bubbly, enthusiastic, even with how hard Diana was being on her, especially when it came to magic. Switching subjects with coursework to keep Akko focused was one thing, magic was something entirely else…magic was their key weapon versus the Grimm. Akko _needed_ to get magic down cold. More than once, the two of them could be found on the grounds for hours at a time, practicing whatever spell had been taught to them earlier (“We are going to stand here and you are going to do that spell until you can do it right, even if it takes us all…bloody…night!”) until Akko was at least proficient with it. She still wasn’t particularly gifted in casting magic, but now she wasn’t hopeless.

But despite all of her improvement, barely any of the cadre acknowledged Akko. Instead it was all “you’ve done very well as a tutor, Cadet Cavendish” or “I’m impressed with the hard work you’ve done with her.” As though Akko couldn’t do anything right, as though Akko hadn’t played any part in her own improvement. It just…it rubbed Diana the wrong way.

And the students were worse. There wasn’t any open hazing, but at least once a day, there would be one cadet or another who would ‘accidentally’ say something to the effect that Akko should just quit, that she was worthless, that she was the worst cadet, and now that Diana knew the truth, knew how much effort Akko was putting into being a better cadet, her loathing found a new target, and she understood why Commandant Holbrooke had been so angry and disappointed in Diana. Now she wanted to lash out at the other students, and was amazed that Akko didn’t.

But Akko didn’t hold a grudge. Akko greeted every day with a smile despite how hard she was being pushed, despite how very little down time she actually got, despite how utterly exhausted she had to be. And she _had_ to be exhausted because _Diana _was exhausted from training and teaching Akko as well as maintaining her own studies. Which was why she was currently standing in her old room, Akko waiting outside in the hall while she retrieved some of her books. She’d consider bringing some of the bookcases into her new quarters, but there just wasn’t any space in their small room. She would merely have to be content with taking a handful of texts at a time and storing them in her wall locker.

“I don’t understand how you’ve managed,” Barbara was saying, tone rather haughty as she pored over a map as part of their land navigation assignment handed out by Major Nelson. “I’d have gone absolutely bonkers if I had to spend all that time with that dunce.”

“She’s not a dunce,” Diana instantly responded, tired of how her two friends seemed so intent on insulting Akko whenever they had a chance to talk like this. Didn’t they have _anything_ else to talk about?

“Maybe not, but she’s been acting all superior ever since her standings have started improving,” Hannah retorted, not bothering to lower her voice even though Akko was standing on the other side of the door to the room and could probably hear her cutting words. “It’s annoying how smug she’s been getting.”

Diana knew that to be completely false. Akko was merely excited at how well she’d been doing, and had been gushing about it to her friends in a public space. She was _not_ getting smug in the slightest. “Akko is simply happy that she’s doing better,” she sighed, and looked up to see Hannah staring at her with narrowed eyes. “What?”

“‘Akko?’ You’re on a first name basis now?” she asked, tone almost cold. “That bint is changing you, Diana. She’s got to go.”

Diana finished collecting her books. “Perhaps not all change is for the worst,” she replied. “And at her current rate, I highly doubt that _Akko_ will voluntarily choose to leave. She’s doing rather well, thank you,” she sniffed. With that, she left the room to find Akko waiting for her, an odd expression on her face. “Ready?”

“Yeah…err, I mean, yes, Cadet Cavendish.”

Without a backwards glance at her old room, Diana stepped off with Akko, heading towards their room, and Diana couldn’t help the small smile that graced her face at Akko’s excited recounting of how very good she was getting at the _Metamorphie facieses_ spell. Yes, not all change was for the worst.

xxxXXXxxx

“Cadet Cavendish, how are you?”

Diana looked up from the papers she had spread out on the outdoor table she was sitting at, the sound of Akko’s banter with her friends from where they were sitting nearby pleasant background noise as she perused the data on the sheets. They, like most of the student body, were all making the best of the unseasonably warm and sunny weather this early November day. Rain and snow and cloudy skies with cutting wind was the norm for this time of year. Hmm, interesting. Captain Callistis was standing before her, a warm smile on her face, and Diana leaned back in her chair. “Tired,” she admitted, and Captain Callistis chuckled.

“I imagine.” Then she tilted her head as she glanced down at the papers on the table. “The standings from all subjects, over the past month? I can’t imagine that being a part of your coursework,” she teased gently, and Diana shrugged.

“It isn’t. A lot of what you said was right on the nose, ma’am. The standings that are posted are cumulative, not in each individual subject, so I wanted a more detailed look.”

Captain Callistis sat at the table, and Diana glanced at the ribbons on the older witch’s chest, and couldn’t help but be impressed. Some of them were for valor, and were not the type of awards that were handed out like candy. How hadn’t she noticed before? Slightly distracted by the ribbon rack that spoke of several combat campaigns, she almost missed the next question. “And what did you find?”

“Hmm? Oh, right, sorry, ma’am. I found that while I greatly outclassed Akko in anything to do with magic, for the more mundane military skills, well…then it’s either her, Recruit O’Neill, or me in the top three. O’Neill is a bloody hellion, but she does have her military skillcraft down pat, as annoying as that is.” Then she noticed the positively warm look that Captain Callistis was giving her. “Ma’am?”

“You called her Akko.” Whereas Hannah had been judgmental in her notice of the same thing, Captain Callistis seemed almost proud of her.

“Er…yes, ma’am. I did.”

“So now, after being her roommate for more than a month, what do you think of Akko?”

Diana paused, glancing at where Akko was laughing and joking with the Red and Green teams. “I’m…envious.”

“Oh? I wasn’t expecting that answer.”

“Well, just look at her,” Diana replied as Akko casually threw her arm over Recruit Jansson’s, err, _Lotte_’_s _shoulders as they both laughed at something that had been said. “Look at how easily it comes to her, that level of camaraderie, that physical affection that she has with her friends. I’ve always had to be aloof, distant, and any contact of the sort with what few friends I’ve ever had has seemed almost stilted. But Akko…it seems like she’s constantly touching her friends in one way or another.” And it was true. Excited hugs with Lotte, shoulder bumps with Amanda, gently punching Sucy’s arm when the Filipina witch said something particularly sassy, sitting back-to-back with Jasminka while they ate some snacks, draping her body over Constanze’s as she looked on over whatever magitronic thing the German cadet was working on. “I envy that close connection, that bond that they all obviously share with one another.”

“So Akko hasn’t done that with you yet?”

Diana shook her head. “No, ma’am. Not yet.”

Captain Callistis hummed softly. “Well, I’m sure that she will at some point, if you so want it to happen. Just have patience.” Then her expression sobered. “Have you made any headway with why Akko is still falling asleep in class?”

Diana frowned. That was the one thing that she hadn’t been able to figure out. Akko still had the nasty habit of falling asleep in some of their classes, much to the anger of the cadre. Thankfully Diana took impeccable notes, so Akko was still able to study for quizzes and exams. But it was still something of a mystery. “No, ma’am.”

Captain Callistis nodded as she stood up. “Well, keep your eyes out. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I have the utmost confidence in you.”

“Very good, ma’am.”

As luck would have it, she would actually find out the cause of Akko’s sleepiness that very night. The rest of the day had passed normally, and the two of them had gone to bed right at 22:00 hrs, ready for the 05:00 wake up for morning exercises. A regular night.

But then, something brushed at the edges of Diana’s sleep, interrupting a dream where a crimson-eyed brunette smiled brilliantly at her before extending a welcoming hand. Before Diana could reach out and grasp it, there was another nudge at the edge of her awareness, and the dream faded into obscurity. She rode the edges of slumber for a moment longer before she heard it again, this time clearly enough to decipher the noise. Murmuring. Someone murmuring quietly and rhythmically under their breath. Diana groaned and cracked her eyes open to see that the room was bathed in a soft, warm glow, and she glanced reflexively towards the window as she tried to gauge the time. Pitch black window panes without even a hint of dawn’s light. What was going on?

Squinting, she lifted her hand to glance at her watch. 02:37. Then she glanced at the source of the murmuring to find Akko sitting at her desk, reading over a textbook, earbuds in her ears as she listened to music on her phone. “Akko?” Diana called out, terribly confused and starting to feel rather grumpy at being woken up. Akko didn’t respond, and Diana frowned before calling out again, louder this time.

Akko jumped, whirling, and even in the dim light of the desk’s lamp, Diana could clearly see the bags under Akko’s eyes. It looked like she hadn’t slept at all. “Diana?” Akko asked as she pulled out an earbud. “Did I wake you?”

“Yes, you did,” she said, tone cross. “Akko, why are you awake?”

Akko shifted guiltily in her seat. “I…uh…I couldn’t sleep.”

“Akko, how often has this been going on?”

“Oh! Um, about three times a week. I’m sorry for waking you up, I guess I had just been singing along to the music I was listening to.”

Diana stared at Akko, incredulous. “Three times a week? And you hadn’t woken me until now?”

Akko’s grin was tiredly triumphant. “Sucy is a light sleeper, so I had to get good at being sneaky or she’d poison me with a mushroom so I’d stay asleep. I didn’t like how I felt in the mornings after she did that, so I just got really good at keeping quiet.”

“Akko…no. No! You should be asleep! Is this why you’ve been falling asleep in class?”

Akko’s expression turned guilty. “…Maybe,” she admitted with a small wince.

“Akko…no, _Recruit Kagari_, I am ordering you to go to bed right now. We have to get up in just a few hours, you need your sleep!”

Akko almost looked nervous. “But…”

“No buts! From here on in, from the hours of 22:00 to 05:00 I expect you to be in your bunk, with the lights out and without your phone, which you shouldn’t even _have_ right now, where did you get that?”

Akko didn’t answer, and if Diana wasn’t so tired and annoyed from being woken up and if the lighting was better in the room, she might have said that a flicker of real fear ran over Akko’s face before she schooled her features. “Is that an order, ma’am?”

“Yes, it is. Now go to bed!”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Thinking the matter resolved as Akko turned out the light and climbed the ladder to her bunk, Diana rolled over in her bunk, pulling her covers up and over her shoulder. She had not only heard stories of Akko getting caught breaking curfew, she had also been one of the students on night watch duty to catch the Japanese witch on her escapades. Was this related? Did Akko suffer from insomnia? One last flicker of annoyance running through her, Diana huffed as she tried to will herself back to sleep. Didn’t Akko realize how important sleep was?

In her hubris, Diana never thought to wonder what the underlying reasons behind Akko’s sleeplessness were. A mistake, as it turned out.

It happened the very next night, and Diana had noticed that Akko had grown more nervous the closer it grew to night, and she almost clung to her friends, almost needy rather than the easy camaraderie that her physical affection usually consisted of. Then they retired to their room, and Diana grew annoyed with how distracted Akko was when they tried to go over the notes of the day. But then, 22:00 finally rolled around, and they changed for bed, Diana very pointedly not focusing on Akko’s fit body that she had been growing more and more aware of the longer they roomed together. Finally, they got into their bunks. Or rather, Diana crawled into her bed only to turn around to find Akko staring at the ladder leading to the top bunk almost as though it was a Grimm creature. “Akko?” Diana asked, more confused than annoyed. They were just going to bed, why was Akko acting scared?

Akko jumped slightly at her voice before her face grew determined, and she clambered up the ladder to her bunk, the mattress and springs squeaking slightly as she got settled, and Diana frowned as she turned off the light with her wand. Akko was acting really weird…well, weirder than usual. She’d get to the bottom of it in the morning.

Fate, of course, rather had a different idea.

It was the screaming that woke her up, and Diana was halfway out of bed with her wand extended and a bolt of energy humming malignantly from the tip before she even realized she had _moved_. Another bloodcurdling scream, and she found her feet, whirling as she scanned for a threat in the room. No threat to be found. No, only a screaming Japanese witch thrashing about in her bunk, skin shining wet with sweat even in the light cast by the spell Diana had charged. “A-Akko?” she gasped, heart lurching at the terrible distress that Akko was obviously in.

“Okaa-san! Otou-san!” Akko fairly screeched, eyes screwed shut in what looked for all the world like agony. “Iie! _Hashire_!”

“Akko!” Diana now shouted, stepping up onto her bunk so that she could grasp Akko by the shoulders, and with a startled cry, Akko’s crimson eyes flared open, wild with terror, and with a full-bodied jolt, she surged out of her bunk and into Diana’s arms. Diana hadn’t expected the wild flailing or the full weight of Akko’s body, and they both tumbled to the floor in a jumble of limbs.

Thankfully knowing how to fall was a large part of their hand-to-hand curriculum so they managed to avoid any injuries, but that was a small mercy, almost an afterthought for Diana to give thanks to later…now, her arms were wrapped around a trembling, gasping Akko. “Akko, what’s going on?” she hissed, and Akko shuddered heavily.

Then, unhelpfully, she started to talk in Japanese, words almost vomiting from her mouth, tumbling and jumbling over one another, to the point where even if Diana understood Japanese she probably wouldn’t have been able to understand a word that Akko was saying. Seizing the other girl by her shoulders, she held her at arm’s length. “Akko, breathe! With me, in…out…in…out.”

After a long, panic stricken moment, Akko finally managed to normalize her breathing, but she was still bathed in sweat, and Diana could see the frantic beat of Akko’s heart in the pulse point of her neck. The girl was absolutely terrified. “Now, tell me what’s going on, in English.”

“The Grimm…when they came…mom and dad, they fell behind! They tried to run, but I could see _it_, I could see it chasing them down. I screamed, but it didn’t matter, because it caught them and it…and it-!”

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as Diana pulled her in close, hugging Akko’s form to her as tight as she could, offering what little comfort she was able to help chase away the nightmare.

Akko gave only a short, harsh sob before her hands were fisted in Diana’s shirt as she buried her face into Diana’s shoulder. And as she cried, Diana desperately wished that she could go back in the past and take back every last evil thing she had ever thought about Akko. She had not known Akko’s motivation to go to Luna Nova besides the fact that she was inspired by Chariot du Nord. She never bothered to ask what would drive someone to endure the daily derision of nearly all the cadre and the overwhelming majority of her peers. She had just chalked it up to Akko being Akko, never bothering to find out what grim terrors and dark past lay beneath the surface.

And so, as penance for her past sins, she offered comfort, comfort to the one who suffered as Diana had, suffered the loss of a parent to the Grimm. And Akko had _seen_ it, whereas Diana had been given the terrible news that her mother had stayed behind to defend the hospital she had been working at when the Grimm counter-attacked during Lieutenant du Nord’s last mission. Diana would merely miss her mother’s presence, grief her loss…Akko _saw_ her parents get taken from her and had been helpless to stop it.

It took some time for Akko to calm down in her arms, but eventually the sobs turned into sniffles, and the sniffles made way for silence, and Diana didn’t let the cold and wet patch on her shoulder bother her. Akko was far more important than that momentary discomfort. But even after Akko stopped crying, neither of them made a move to separate, the only change being Akko’s hands going from the hard, desperate fists gripping her shirt tightly to more relaxed hands that radiated warmth as they splayed against her back.

Then, finally, Akko spoke. “Sorry about your shirt,” she murmured into Diana’s shoulder and Diana gave a slight shrug, careful not to jostle Akko.

“I have others. Even if you had ruined it forever, it would have been worth it.”

Akko sighed, nuzzling her face into the crook of Diana’s neck and she wriggled, burrowing deeper into Diana’s embrace, and Diana felt her face light up with a fierce blush. This was…this was the most she had been held since before her mother’s death, all those years ago. She really didn’t have any experience to speak of in terms of how to interpret an embrace, but her heart and soul both insisted that this almost intimate embrace went beyond platonic, that it was something _more_. All at once, her frank appreciation for Akko’s body as well as her admiration for her strong spirit came roaring to the fore, and for the first time, Diana really realized that she might be falling for the clumsy witch from Japan. Fear made her want to thrust Akko away from her, hope made her want to hold her closer, and for a moment the two powerful emotions warred against each other as Diana regained her composure.

She gently cleared her throat and slowly pulled away from Akko, heart lurching as she caught sight of Akko’s puffy eyes and tear streaked cheeks as a very powerful urge to protect the other girl rose in her. “Are you alright?” she asked, and Akko nodded as she sniffled again and wiped the back of her hand against her cheek.

“I will be. Thanks, Diana. You’re…you’re the first person to do that. At the orphanage they’d just tell me to shut up. Lotte would hold my hand and Sucy would hit me with a sleeping potion. But you’re the first to…it means a lot. It really does.” She pulled further away, wincing as she stood up and offered a hand.

Diana took it, grunting as Akko pulled her to her feet. She didn’t hurt anything when they fell, but that didn’t mean that it tickled. Plus, the position they had held each other in had been a bit awkward. Speaking of awkward, Diana was suddenly aware of how their hands were still loosely clasped, and she coughed slightly as she pulled away, only just barely not laughing at the deer-in-headlights look that Akko gave her.

Desperate for something to break the awkwardness, she looked at her watch. “We still have some time to sleep…are you going to be okay?”

Akko nodded, face resolute as she turned to mount the ladder to her bunk. “I usually only get one a night, I should be good now.” Aiming a heartfelt smile over her shoulder, she began to climb the ladder. “And Diana…thanks. I really appreciate what you did.”

It would take Diana a long time to fall asleep after that, attentive as she was for any movement in the bunk above her that revealed any distress. Even after Akko’s gentle snores began to fill the room, sleep eluded her, and she lifted one of the hands that had held Akko so very close against her. _She was so soft…and warm. By the Nine, did her embrace have to feel that good_? Question unanswered, she could feel sleep starting to take ahold of her, and her last thought before she drifted again into slumber was a realization. _She smelled like cherry blossoms_…

xxxXXXxxx

The next morning started with absolutely no deviation to how things always were. Despite Diana watching her like a hawk, Akko was the same bright, cheerful person she always seemed to be. Diana made sure to sit next to Akko in their morning classes, and made sure to prod Akko with her pen every time that Akko started to nod off, even as she went through every healing spell she could think of in order to think of something that could help Akko. Finally, just before lunch, she remembered something that should do just the trick.

“Hey, Akko?” she asked as they entered the cafeteria, and Akko turned surprised eyes on her. Oh, right, it was still during the duty day. “Er, Recruit Kagari. Do you have a moment?”

A slightly concerned frown crossed Akko’s face as she glanced at the table that the Red and Green teams had already claimed as their own as well as at the long queue already formed. Meal breaks were some of the few times that Akko was permitted to be out of talking distance from Diana, provided that she stayed in the same room as her. Diana was actively taking away from her time with her friends. “Yes, ma’am,” she dutifully answered.

“Just a moment, I assure you. I know a spell that was developed during the Great War to help patients suffering from shell shock. It can’t be used all day, but I assure you, if you permit me to cast it on you, you should be able to sleep soundly every night.”

Akko stared at her blankly for a moment as she processed the words, and then her face lit into a brilliant grin. “You’d do that for me?”

Diana sniffed haughtily. “Of course I would. After all, this issue is interfering in your coursework, and we’ve worked too hard to let that happen.”

The look on Akko’s face told her that she had seen the truth behind the aloof words. “Of course,” she said with a knowing grin. “Yes, Diana, I would greatly appreciate that.”

Thinking the encounter over, Diana turned and started to walk away when a fleeting brush against her shoulder had her pausing, and she turned back around to see Akko blushing slightly with a shy and timid smile on her face as she held her hands to her chest. Akko…Akko had just touched her. Touched her like she touched all her friends. Feeling a distinct urge to cry happy tears, Diana merely smiled back as she reached up and clasped Akko’s shoulder, causing Akko’s grin to go from shy and timid to beaming. “See you after lunch!” Akko chirped before turning and fairly flouncing over to where the line for deserts was queued up.

Diana watched after her with a fond smile on her face before she remembered that she was still in uniform and she still had to meet the standards. Schooling her expression, she joined the main line (and reminded herself to talk to Akko later about getting her desert before her main meal first…how irresponsible), all the while completely oblivious to the pair of hazel eyes that watched from across the room. Hazel eyes that lay beneath auburn hair, hazel eyes that burned with a deep hatred. Hazel eyes that flicked over to where stupid, clueless Kagari stood in line, completely blind to the glares she was receiving from the others around her. Hazel eyes that narrowed sharply.

Yes, Hannah England told herself. Atsuko Kagari simply _had _to go.


	4. What Does It Mean To Be An Adult?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While sitting in Professor Pisces' class, Akko ponders about what it means to really be adult. When trying to think of someone who is an example of being an adult, one name springs immediately to mind...

What did it mean to be an adult, to really reach adulthood? This was something that Akko actually thought about a lot, though she knew her friends would probably be pretty surprised that she was thinking about such a deep subject. Even though she liked to live life in the moment, she still couldn’t help but wonder about her place in the chaotic world that they lived in. And the one subject that had been coming to mind more often than any others recently was that of adulthood. She didn’t know what it meant to be an adult, what someone had to do to really be considered an adult.

Was it merely a matter of age? Legally speaking, all the students at Luna Nova were adults by the European standard (even if she wasn’t _quite_ an adult in Japan yet), as the minimum age for admission was eighteen...seventeen if you turned eighteen within a month of the admission date and had a waiver. She had heard rumors that the school was being pressured to admit magically gifted girls as young as fifteen, similar to how Luna Nova had before it had to be turned into a military academy because of the Grimm. Commandant Holbrooke had put her foot down, saying that that was far too young. Akko didn’t know how long that would last, though…it sucked, but even with the assistance of the witches who had already graduated Luna Nova and all the other military academies training soldiers who could use magic, the war was still being lost. Akko knew enough about history to know that things were likely going to change in the near future. First, the curriculum would be shortened. Luna Nova was already the odd man out for still having their training last two and a half years for the whole experience. Most other schools had already dropped down to less than a year. Even Beacon Academy had dropped down to two years, and Luna Nova and Beacon produced the absolute best warriors to fight against the Grimm. Generally speaking, if you hear that SMS Witches or a unit of Beacon Hunters was in your area of operation, you had a much higher chance of surviving.

Akko blinked, focusing for a second on the blackboard where Professor Pisces’ assistant was writing for the fishy teacher. Akko could completely understand Professor Pisces after an unfortunate…err, _incident_ earlier on in her term, but that didn’t mean that she was actively paying attention. Plus, Pisces taught philosophy, so she wouldn’t mind so much that Akko was thinking philosophical thoughts, right? Still, Diana wouldn’t be happy if she found out Akko was completely blowing off the class, especially since this was the one class they didn’t share together (and boy it had been _worth_ it to see the look of rage on Colonel Finnelan’s face when she was forced to let Akko stay in the class despite the fact that it broke the spend every minute with Diana rule!) and so she couldn’t mooch off Diana’s notes.

Sighing wearily to herself, she studied the board for a moment, translating the English into Japanese before writing it down in her notebook in her slightly messy hiragana, along with a note on the side: ‘ask Diana about this.’ Even though Diana didn’t take the class, she would absolutely know the subject, and Akko would be surprised if she couldn’t teach it better than the teacher. At the very least, translating English to Japanese was easier than Aquatic to Japanese. Satisfied that she had enough written down that Diana would help her learn whatever it was that she was supposed to learn today, she leaned back in her chair. Now, where had she been?

Ah, right, adulthood. Flipping to a new page of her notebook, she scribbled down 成人期 for seijin-ki, adulthood. The rest of the notes followed as she almost absently put her thoughts on papers. Age? No, she wrote, age did not equal maturity. She had met plenty of older people that she wouldn’t really consider adult. She had also met children who were wise beyond their years, usually as the result of trauma. Age alone did not equal adulthood.

What about willingness to serve? If you took her for an example, she was a recruit in one of the most prestigious military academies for witches in the entire world, and after she graduated, she knew exactly where she was going: to the battlefield. She wasn’t certain how many of her fellow cadets actually paid attention to the reports coming back, but the life expectancy for a witch on the front lines wasn’t good. And besides, so far as adulthood went, she didn’t feel like an adult, even as she didn’t feel like a child anymore. She felt like she was in that nebulous space between adulthood and childhood. If she was being honest with herself, she also didn’t consider a great many of her peers to be adults either.

Her pen stilled at that, and she stared at the header of the list she just made. Luna Nova students she considered adults. Only one person came to mind, and she bit her lip as she wrote it down, in English, writing each letter with extreme care rather than in the usual chicken scratch she used. She stared at the name for a moment, acknowledging the way her heart slightly sped up as she thought of the cadet. Then she shook her head slightly. If that cadet was the one adult in the student body, she’d look at her attributes in a moment. First, what was it about the rest of the students that firmly removed them from being adults?

The answers leaped to the front of her mind as she felt her eyebrows gather in a frown. Pettiness. Shortsightedness. Cruelty. Bullying. Unwillingness to accept something that was different. Refusal to try and understand the _reason_ behind the difference. She looked at the hiragana for those traits, the black characters glaring at her from the white page, and her fingers tightened around her pen.

She was Akko Kagari. Friendly to a fault, naïve, bubbly, stubborn, hardheaded. But she wasn’t deaf. She wasn’t blind. She heard what the others said about her behind her back. She saw how they looked at her, read the cruel notes sometimes left in her desk. She knew they hated her, and she hated that they did. After all, while they wasted energy on their petty hatred of her the Grimm only grew stronger. Yes, she had issues focusing, but the language barrier seemed almost insurmountable at times. And when everyone hated you, it was so very hard to find focus at times. Had it not been for Sucy, Lotte, Amanda, Constanze, Jasminka, and Ursula-sensei and Croix-sensei…err, Captain Callistis and Major Meridies, she probably would have quit a long time ago.

Perhaps she would have found the energy to loathe her peers if the threat outside their walls wasn’t so deadly. But the Grimm waited for them all, so she grit her teeth and hid behind a smile, ignoring the insults that the others used against her. Too bad it wasn’t like that one saying, ‘a lion cares not for the opinions of sheep.’ She very much cared, and wished she could be friends with everyone at Luna Nova, and the fact that they weren’t killed her a little inside every day.

Her eyes flicked to the name she had written down. There was one who had once hated her, true, but so far as Akko could tell, it was a hate not of her as an individual but because it had been perceived that Akko wasn’t putting forth enough effort, even though she was. It wasn’t petty, it wasn’t cruel, it had been born of a deep concern.

She suddenly realized she was smiling softly at the name and wiped the expression from her face. After all, despite how warmly she felt about the star cadet of all of Luna Nova, Diana Cavendish couldn’t feel the same way about her. Akko was convinced that Diana had only until just recently barely tolerated her presence. They had been forced together because of their fight (why couldn’t Akko have just kept her cool?) and Diana had been such a huge help, and Akko would forever be indebted to her for that! Seriously, she went from the bottom of the lowest quarter of their year group to just breaking the top half. She couldn’t have done that without Diana’s help! And there was the matter of the night when her greatest weakness and worst memory was revealed, and Diana had selflessly held her until she had calmed down.

She blinked as understanding bloomed. She scribbled out the list she hadn’t actually filled out yet and rewrote Diana’s name with the same utmost care as before. _What makes Diana an adult_? she asked herself. The answers came easily, and the warmth grew in her chest with every character she scribbled down. Honor. Self-awareness. Kindness. Maturity. Intelligence. Poise. Grace. If only the other girl knew how to relax a little, she might seem more like a human rather than an angel descended from the heavens to lead the fight against the Grimm. Honestly, there were two moments that Diana had seemed actually _human_. The first was when she was spitting mad and insulting not only Akko but also Shiny Chariot in the locker room. The second, of course, was when she held Akko while she sobbed, mourning the loss of her parents. She had been so warm and soft and _real_ that Akko had barely held it together at the time.

The connection had been made more real by the fact that Akko knew what had happened to Diana’s mother. It was part of documented history, after all. It was well known that the matriarch of the Cavendish family had selflessly sacrificed herself to give evacuees more time to flee a Grimm offensive in the opening days of the war. Akko felt like Diana became an adult around that time. Akko also knew that she would never mention Diana’s mother, not unless Diana brought it up first. After all, Akko wasn’t blind. She had noticed the pain in Diana’s eyes behind the polite smile she offered whenever anyone mentioned how much of a hero her mother had been. If Diana was anything like Akko…well, to Diana, her mother wasn’t a hero, she was _okaa-san_, and she would probably give anything to feel her mother’s arms around her one more time. Because of the Grimm, she never would. So no, Akko would not talk about Diana’s mother. She only knew of Colonel Cavendish, the hero. But she did hope that someday, Diana would tell her of Bernadette, the loving mother. But that was up to Diana.

Still, at the end of the day, one thing would always remain the same: if Akko could become anything like the adult that Diana was, she could say that she lived well.

The bell rang, startling Akko out of her thoughts, and she glanced at the board to make sure that there wasn’t anything important that she had missed before she gathered up her books and made sure that her uniform was on straight before heading towards the hall, where she would meet up with Diana for their next class. It was only twelve steps out of the door that a passing student roughly threw her shoulder against Akko’s before continuing on, and Akko stared after the retreating recruit with a frown. They were getting bolder. Then she shook her head, put her smile back on, and continued on her way. She was about to meet Diana. Nothing could ruin her good mood!

Perhaps if she knew what was coming, she would not have felt that way. After all, she was correct. Those that hated her _were_ growing bolder, and were even now plotting against her. After all, the military was full of cruel traditions dating back centuries to drive the unwanted from the ranks, and Hannah England was absolutely determined to remove what she perceived to be a blight upon the honor of Luna Nova and that she was convinced was corrupting Diana Cavendish. Perhaps if Hannah was the only one to feel that way, it would not have been so bad, but she wasn’t alone. And Luna Nova was training them to be top tier soldiers, and that included planning strikes. This was not to be a poorly executed operation. Hannah was being meticulous and careful, and would strike at the opportune moment.

Unfortunately for Akko Kagari, that moment was fast approaching…


	5. The One I Need The Most

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot against Akko is finally put into fruition, and in the aftermath of it, she is consumed by the urge to get to the one she trusts the most. Diana will help her. Diana will heal her. Diana will be there for her when she needs her the most!

Akko hummed happily to herself as she washed her hands in the sink of the shared lavatory for their wing. It finally seemed like things were looking up for her, this first week of December. By some small miracle, she hadn’t managed to piss Colonel Finnelan off enough to have her weekend pass revoked last week, so she had enjoyed a day on the town with Sucy and Lotte. Granted, she _may_ have broken one of the cardinal rules of magic and _accidentally_ reanimated the corpse of Commandant Holbrooke’s father, but…well, that whole situation had kinda resolved itself in a _mostly_ beneficial way, and the best part about it was that Commandant Holbrooke hadn’t even seemed too upset about it all! Akko called that a solid win!

Monday had continued to build on the successes of the weekend. She and Diana had been called to the Commandant’s office, which of course had Akko sweating bullets ‘cuz Diana would _totally_ flip her lid if she found out that Akko was (again, entirely accidentally!) bringing the dead back to life…err, well, unlife as the case may be, but besides a knowing and somewhat chastising glance that Commandant Holbrooke gave her, the older witch made no mention of the weekend’s shenanigans. No, this meeting was much happier. In light of Akko and Diana’s hard work, Commandant Holbrooke was loosening some of the stricter stipulations of her punishment. While they still had to be roommates, Diana and Akko didn’t have to be constantly together. Further, due to her average now being C+ (rather than the D+ that really should have been a D- if Akko was being honest with herself) Akko’s grades were now solely her own and wouldn’t drag Diana’s down anymore. Commandant Holbrooke’s small smile and nod and simple “Congratulations, you’ve earned this,” was good. The fact that Colonel Finnelan (who didn’t say a word the entire time) looked like she was sucking a lemon (well, a _really_ sour lemon…she _always_ looked like she was sucking a lemon) was better.

But best of all was the look of quiet pride and admiration on Diana’s face when they left the Commandant’s office. “You’ve done marvelously,” she said with a soft smile, and Akko would always and forever be amazed that her poor heart didn’t just stop right then and there. Diana shouldn’t be allowed to just _smile_ at her life that! Even the fact that the other students were being crueler wasn’t enough to ruin Akko’s good mood.

The thought brought her out of memory lane and to the present, and her smile faltered as she turned the tap off and pulled out some paper towels to dry her hands with. Well, maybe their cruelty didn’t quite ruin her good mood. But it did put a damper on what should have been the best week of her time at Luna Nova.

It had really started during lunch on Tuesday. She had been eating with her friends when there was a shocked cry behind her and a shouted warning from Amanda just as the contents of a lunch tray were dumped on her. What made it worse was that it was an inspection day, so they were all wearing the No. 2 Service Dress uniform, and she had _just_ gotten the khaki uniform dry cleaned!

Amanda had shot up out of her chair with a furiously snarled “Oi, watch where the fuck you’re going!” and Akko had whirled, heart thudding heavily in her chest as her fists clenched in preparation for a retaliatory strike if she was being attacked by one of her so-called _peers_…but no, the cadet behind her was a first year, without even a Private’s chevron under her Recruit tab. Furthermore, she looked terrified and mortified in equal measures, and was already stammering an apology, her face red with embarrassment as she tried to explain that something had tripped her up. The poor girl looked close to tears.

So Akko had merely grimaced as she wiped at the food that was spattered over her khaki dress uniform. “S’not your fault,” she reassured the poor girl even as she glanced about her, looking for the real culprit, the one who had cast the spell to trip the younger cadet. But everyone was laughing at her now, and in the commotion she couldn’t see anyone who might’ve done it. Her first thought was Diana’s one roommate, Recruit England. Akko knew the auburn-haired girl _really_ hated her, even though she couldn’t figure out exactly _why_. But no, England was across the room, smirking with cruel amusement at her, even while Diana was visibly scolding her and Recruit Parker for their obvious amusement at Akko’s expense. England was too far away to be able to easily cast the spell, and Diana would have definitely noticed.

Then, to make matters even _better_, a furious voice had cracked out. “Recruit Kagari, what is the _meaning_ of this?!”

Colonel Finnelan. Of course. What followed was the usual dressing down and scolding about maintaining her uniform as though this was all somehow her fault. Akko had endured it silently, standing at the position of attention even as the food started to soak completely through her uniform. Amanda had grumbled mutinously under her breath, but a single sharp glance from Colonel Finnelan had the red-haired American closing her mouth, her eyes glittering angrily as she glared daggers at the table, an expression copied by most everyone on the Red and Green teams. But Akko had merely taken it. She was used to it, after all.

But then Diana...fair, honorable Diana had come swooping in, her face like thunder as she sharply swished her wand, and the food lifted from Akko’s uniform and the floor, flying through the air before returning to the young student’s tray. “I’ve returned it to _exactly_ how it was before you were _clumsy_,” she hissed at the other girl. “Go and eat. _Now_.”

The recruit had merely shot glances at the Lieutenant rank underneath Diana’s cadet scroll on her shoulder and at Colonel Finnelan’s angry face before turning abruptly on her heel and pretty much running away, face still bright red, and Akko had felt a pang of pity for the girl…she was nothing more than a poor pawn in a game being played by Akko’s peers. Diana had looked rather pointedly at Akko’s now spotless uniform before turning her attention to Colonel Finnelan. “Is there anything else, ma’am?”

Colonel Finnelan had pursed her lips tightly at the flatly delivered question. Then her eyes had narrowed at Akko. “Your uniform is wrinkled, recruit. Fix it.” She had left without another word after that, and Akko had fallen even deeper in debt to Diana. Yes, she had been somewhat forced to help Akko, but once that help had started, she had given it her all when a very great many students wouldn’t have. In fact, Akko would feel entirely comfortable in saying that she didn’t believe a single other student in their year group would have done what Diana had done for her. Perhaps that was why Akko was slowly falling for…

She blinked, shook her head as she tossed the damp paper towels in the waste bin. _That_ was something to think about later.

Wednesday went about as well as she had expected. Room inspection ended with a failure, _again_. She wasn’t even surprised anymore, though she did feel rather proud that it took Colonel Finnelan much longer than usual to find an infraction worthy of attention. This time it was some strands of string on the inside of her cuff. Akko knew she was going to fail the inspection because she _always_ failed the inspection, and was also entirely unsurprised when the Colonel told her she’d have another inspection on Friday, and if she failed that (read, _when_ she failed that), her weekend pass would be revoked. Diana’s expression had been one of disbelief, but Akko had warned her, had _told _her how Colonel Finnelan was. And when Diana remained silent in the face of Colonel Finnelan’s crowing, well…Akko couldn’t blame her for that, even though the silence hurt. To make matters worse, her peers were almost constant about it. Tuesday and Wednesday had five nasty letters left in her locker, a minor hex scrawled onto her desk, and countless glares and hissed threats as she walked the halls, mainly telling her she should leave if she knew what was good for her.

Almost as though it had been timed to her darker thoughts, the door to the latrine creaked open, and Akko froze as the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She couldn’t say what it was exactly, but something about how that door opened was triggering her alarms, and she very suddenly wished that Diana was still supposed to stay with her all the time, but no, she was still in their room, studying. _They’re going to come in a rush,_ she realized._ I’m only going to have time for a blow or two._ Taking, deep breaths to try and steady her nerves, she quickly pulled a bunch of paper towels from the dispenser and dumped them into the sink before turning on the hot tap, the sink very quickly beginning to fill with water as the towels clogged the drain. It wouldn’t get boiling hot, but it got hot enough that it should give her a slight edge, and she would take any advantage she could get. Ignoring the discomfort of the now scalding water against her skin, she plunged her hands into the sink and grasped the wet paper towels.

The door leading to the latrine squeaked shut, and Akko’s heart begin to race in her heart. Any second now, and they would-

A harsh voice whispering with intent, and the blinding spell stole Akko’s sight from her just as the sound of a bunch of feet rushing around the corner hit her ears, and for an extremely brief, flitting moment she almost had to admire the fuckers. Hit her when she’s alone and vulnerable. Solid planning on their part, worthy of SMS Witches…unfortunately for them she was also training to be an SMS Witch, and had served in the JSDF for several years before transferring to Luna Nova. Even blind and alone, she was not defenseless.

Her actions were efficient and immediate. Face set, she spun sharply as she heaved as much water and soaking paper towels from the sink into the air as she could, spraying the water and towels in a broad arc that she hoped was about head height. There were several cries of surprise, and she took advantage of the slight reprieve she had bought herself by bringing up her arms defensively and darting forward until she crashed into someone. Then she was flailing out with clenched fists.

She could not win. Not blind, not while outnumbered, and they wouldn’t be stupid enough to not come in here not buffed to the max with magic. But she wouldn’t go down without a fight!

The chaos of the brawl ruled for a second, snarled curses and shouts of anger answering her, and Akko knew that she got several good hits in, her knuckles smacking against flesh and cracking against bone, but then two of them managed to grab her arms and pull her back.

“You should have left when we told you to!” came the furious snarl, and Akko glared in the direction of the voice.

“I’m not going to quit!” she declared hotly.

A low, harsh chuckle. “You know, I was kinda hoping you’d say that. Now…clench your teeth!”

xxxXXXxxx

The walk back to her room was agonizing and slow, each step torturous, pain shooting through her body with each inch she managed to gain. One eye was swollen completely shut, and the other was blurred and she couldn’t focus it very well. She couldn’t tell if her nose was still bleeding…she couldn’t feel anything over the burning pain of her beaten face that was focused on her split and swollen lip. Thoughts were also fleeting, randomly appearing and disappearing in bursts, never staying long enough for her to focus on them, save for the most important one that she held onto with all her will: get back to Diana.

She coughed, and had to pause, body leaned against the wall of the corridor, her arms wrapped around her chest as the pain flared, sharp and stabbing. They at least bruised her ribs, the bitches. Was she leaving a trail of blood? She turned to look back the way she came, but couldn’t focus her eye well enough see in the dimly lit corridor.

Wait…why was she looking back that way? She had to get to Diana. She turned back the way she had been going and forced herself to continue. She _had_ to get to Diana.

A gasp of shock, murmurs of worry from other students in the hall. Some laughter, a scolding voice. But no one tried to help her. No one asked her if she was okay. No one offered a shoulder to lean on. No one tried to help her to wherever she was trying to get to. _No_ one tried to help her.

Some of the voices floated through the pain. “-don’t give a damn, she looks rough, maybe we-” “-no, she’s been targeted by some of the more powerful Second Years, we better not-” “-really must have pissed them off-” “-going to get one of the cadre, maybe Captain Callistis-” “-not a good idea…you help her, you might become a target-”

Meaningless chirps from meaningless birds, flitting about and doing meaningless things. If they couldn’t help her now, when she was bleeding and hurt right in front of them, how could she expect their help on the battlefield? No, there were only nine people in this entire school she knew she could rely on for help, and she was going to the most important of them.

Then she was standing still, staring at the door tucked away at the end of the hall, unable to connect what this plain wooden door had to do with Diana. Then, after a long, painful moment, she remembered. Oh, yeah. Diana was behind the door.

It took a great deal of effort to pull her hand away from her side and to put it on the door knob, but she managed. It took even more effort to turn the knob and push the door open, but she managed that, too, and stumbled into the room.

“About time you got back,” Diana started in that distracted voice she used whenever she was reading something while talking, “I was starting to think that you might have fallen in the…_Akko_! What happened?!” The sound of the back of a chair hitting the floor and feet clattering against the floor, and then gentle but firm hands had her by the shoulders and was guiding her to the bottom bunk.

“Would you believe me if I said I fell down some stairs?” Akko slurred past her burning lip.

“No.” The one word answer was clipped and ice cold, and Akko heard the sound of a wand being activated. A murmured healing spell, and the pain on her face greatly diminished, her swollen eye opening up, the blurred inability to focus going away.

Akko sighed at the immediate relief. “Thanks Diana.”

Then her breath froze in her throat as Diana reached out and cupped her cheek with impossibly gentle fingers before tilting her face up, ice-cold eyes roaming her face, taking in the evidence of the fight. Silence ruled, then, as Diana delicately brushed away some of the blood from the corner of Akko’s mouth before she pulled her hand away, staring at the blood on the pad of her thumb for a moment, her expression inscrutable. Then she locked gazes with Akko, and Akko’s heart skipped a nervous beat at the look of barely restrained fury in Diana’s eyes. When she spoke, it was in a deadly quiet voice, every word tense with the effort of keeping her temper in check.

“Who…did this to you?”

Akko shrugged with a bitter twist to her mouth, hating that she was letting Diana down like this. “I can’t say for certain. They hit me with a blinding spell before I could see any of them, and I couldn’t recognize any of the voices in the chaos of it all.”

“I’m going to find out who did this, and make them pay, Akko. _I promise_.”

Akko froze at those words, frowning slightly as she glanced up at Diana, confusion rippling through her. Those words were awfully fervent. And for that matter, sure Diana should be angry, but wasn’t she much angrier than she had any right to be? For the first time, the first seed of hopeful suspicion was planted in Akko’s mind. Of course, it was just her luck that it came on the heels of having the crap beat out of her…

The door opened with a bang, and Diana was whirling and ducking with a silent snarl as she crouched protectively in front of Akko, wand extended and an orb of energy humming angrily at the end of it. But it was Captain Callistis standing in the doorway, panting heavily, sweat beading on her forehead. Even so, even though it was Captain Callistis, Diana was slow to put away her wand.

“Is she okay?” Captain Callistis gasped out, and Diana straightened as she collapsed her wand.

“I stabilized the worst of her wounds. Will she be safe in your care?”

Captain Callistis bristled at that. “Of course! How can you even ask that?”

“You’ll forgive me for such impertinence, ma’am.” Diana looked back to Akko, her severe expression softening. “Akko, I’ll be right back. I need to check on something real quick. When I get back, we’ll take care of the rest of your wounds, alright?” With a final, reassuring smile, she was running out the door, the sound of her sprinting footsteps rapidly receding.

xxxXXXxxx

Today’s uniform was the No. 8 Dress, Combat Temperate. Or in civilian vernacular, the camouflaged combat uniform. Diana was always fairly strict about maintaining uniform during the duty day unlike some of the other students. As such, she hadn’t needed to take even the half second she would have needed to put on her jacket or even longer to put on her highly polished leather combat boots, as she hadn’t yet taken them off when Akko had stumbled into their room, battered, bloodied, and beaten.

Diana would never figure out how she had managed to keep her cool in the face of such hatred and violence against her…against Akko. That was entirely unacceptable. And if there was any one person with the political clout and the drive to do something like this, only one name came repeatedly to mind, even though Diana hoped and prayed that her suspicions were incorrect.

But the turmoil roiling in her heart did nothing to slow her blistering pace as her booted feet thundered through the halls, ignoring the startled cries from the other students, as well as the annoyed admonition from one of the cadre that was choked off as whoever the professor was recognized exactly who she was scolding. One did not lightly berate Diana Cavendish, and Diana honestly had no idea how she would have reacted if the cadre member had tried to stop her.

After all, what she had to do was very time sensitive.

She power slid through a corner, boots squeaking slightly on the floor before they gained purchase again, and she charged forward the last bit of her wild run before bursting through the door, wand already in her hand and coming up as she cast the spell, Barbara’s wand blasting out of her hand from where she was healing Hannah, and they all froze, Hannah and Barbara staring at her with real fear in their eyes, Diana glaring at them with clenched jaw and pursed lips, breathing sharply through her nose as she took in their appearance.

Their upper torsos and heads were still damp from what seemed to be water, and it was obvious that Hannah had taken some blows, bruising still visible on her face, now yellowed with the artificial aging that Barbara’s healing magic had done. It was a good thing that neither of them were very skilled with the healing skills or else there might not have been any physical proof that they were in the group that had attacked Akko, and Diana’s suspicions alone might not have been enough.

Hannah nervously licked her lips, and Barbara started to rise. “Diana, we can explain-” she started, but Diana didn’t even say anything, just shot them both a _look_, and they flinched. She flicked up with her wand, and they followed her unspoken command, both of them standing up.

The three of them stood there for a moment, staring at each other before Diana finally found her voice. “I have…half a mind to march you both to the Commandant’s office to have you immediately expelled and your names stricken from the records,” she hissed. “Further, I am _sorely_ tempted to remove the protection of the Cavendish name for you two. Is this how you repay my years of friendship? Is this how you repay my family’s kindness?!”

“We were trying to save you from that bint!” Hannah snapped, tone desperate and angry.

“Save me from Akko? Are you bloody out of your minds? You think that attacking another student in a mob is ever appropriate? You think that bullying her is a righteous action? You think that using magic to trip another student into dropping her food all over Akko is excusable? You _shame_ yourselves, ladies! Further, SMS Witches support one another, something that I learned well since I was roomed with Akko.” She paused, breath coming fast and furious. She was too angry to decide what to do. But there was one who she would trust to do the right thing, one who hadn’t ever held a grudge against a single student despite the hell that she had been put through. She gestured angrily with her wand. “Come then, ladies. Let us go and confront the consequences of your actions, face-to-face. You better hope that Akko is feeling far more merciful than I am, because I assure you, _what she says goes_.” She stepped to the side and away from the door. “Now _move_.”

Yes, this was the right thing to do. Let Akko decide what punishment was to be meted out. Better still, Captain Callistis would be there to provide more insight. Confident in her decision, she marched behind the two who had betrayed her trust, her wand held threateningly at their backs. She trusted Akko with every fiber of her being. Akko would do the right thing…even when Diana wasn’t sure that she was capable of doing the same!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so marks the end of the dianakko week prompts for this story! I am very pleased with the response to this, so I will definitely continue this more actively than I was planning.
> 
> That said, while I am definitely going to go for a happy ending, there is going to be a LOT of angst along the way. This world that I have created is one in which humanity is on the ropes, and it will take hard fighting and many sacrifices to defeat the Grimm threat. Their struggles are going to be epic. With that known, I hope you'll find it in your hearts to join me on the journey. Catch you on the flip side!


	6. Within Regulations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana brings Hannah and Barbara to Akko in order for her to decide their fate. She should have known that Akko would decide to solve their conflict the way that she does...but something to think about later, there was also the issue of Colonel Finnelan's obvious vendetta against Akko to address. She was done being the silent bystander!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, a chapter! Oh, wow, it's been a minute, and I'm so sorry for that! Real life just kept happening, like it does. I was hoping to have this be longer, but then I got to the part where this chapter ends and was like...yeah. That's long enough. I really will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, and thank you all so very much for your patience!

Within Regulations

The march back to her and Akko’s room was silent and fraught with tension, Diana’s face stony and wand still activated, her rage such that if Hannah or Barbara tried anything not on the level she wouldn’t hesitate in turning magic against them, which said a very great deal. She had known the two witches in front of her for almost the entirety of her life, and they had been her nearly constant companions for the last decade. She had once trusted them more than anyone else, save Anna and some of the other long serving staff from the manor.

But they betrayed that trust, and had hurt Akko!

The very thought sent yet another surge of fury roaring through her veins, and she grit her teeth as she narrowed her eyes at the two of them. Barbara’s shoulders were shaking and she could be heard sniffling, her hands coming up to wipe at the tears on her face. Hannah was more composed, back straight, shoulders back as she marched with clean, military precision…but Diana didn’t miss how tightly Hannah’s hands were clenched. They both had to know what a precarious situation they were in. Whatever Akko decided their fate should be, Diana would do everything in her power to make that happen.

She was distantly aware of others in the hallway, staff and students alike looking on with confused expressions, but none of them dared attempt to intervene, for which Diana was grateful…just as she was grateful when they turned that final corner leading to her and Akko’s room, and soon they were marching into the room.

Anger. Anger so potent that it turned her stomach, and the handle of her wand creaked dangerously under her furious grasp as she got yet another look at Akko’s bloodied face. Her healing earlier had only been enough to stabilize, to remove the worst of the injuries to Akko’s head and face, but hadn’t removed the bruises, much of the swelling, or the blood. That was something that Captain Callistis had apparently been seeing to, a damp washcloth red with Akko’s blood held in her hand as she surged to her feet, face thunderous.

“How _dare_ you?!” she hissed, narrowed eyes glittering behind her glasses as her hands tightened to fists. “Attacking another student is strictly forbidden! Have you no-?”

“They didn’t attack me.”

The words cut off Captain Callistis’ furious tirade, and everyone turned to look at Akko, who was staring up at Hannah and Barbara. Like her words, her expression wasn’t meek or broken, but instead steely and determined. This wasn’t someone who was protecting their attacker out of fear of retaliation, and that fact alone stilled Diana’s tongue, though she sorely wanted to protest.

Captain Callistis merely worked her jaw furiously as she stared at Akko for a moment. “What?” she finally managed to grind out.

“They didn’t attack me,” Akko repeated, her resolute gaze never leaving Hannah’s face. “There was a leak in the bathroom, and I slipped. They helped me get back up.”

“And the bruise on her face?” the older woman asked with a clipped voice as she gestured towards Hannah. “The water on their torsos?”

“The floor was _very_ slippery.”

“So there is to be no disciplinary action, then?” Diana asked, the thought not sitting well with her. If Akko denied that Hannah and Barbara and others had attacked her now, then if she tried to do so in the future, the testimony would be viewed with suspicion. And frankly, at the moment she wasn’t sure she could trust Hannah to leave well enough alone, even in the face of Akko’s apparent mercy.

“Why would there be any need for discipline if they didn’t assault me?” Akko asked. Then, after a short pause, she spoke again, a razor edge to her words. “On a related note, however…Recruit England and I were discussing having a possible sparring match. Boxing. Preferably as soon as possible. What are the rules for that?”

Hannah and Barbara blinked, Diana’s eyes widened, and Captain Callistis frowned suspiciously, her gaze switching between Hannah and Akko. “It is…permitted. There is, after all, the boxing tournament between platoons at the end of the year. Queensbury rules, of course, with cadre acting as referees. Any cheating is strictly forbidden, is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all answered.

Captain Callistis then sighed as she looked around at all of them before finally focusing on Akko, her expression tight. “I am not happy, Recruit Kagari. I would have hoped that integrity would have meant something more to you. But you made your choice. This weekend, Saturday the fifth, at noon. Cadet Cavendish, will she be recovered enough at that point to box?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Very good, then. Take things from here, Cadet Second Lieutenant.” With one last glance at Akko that Diana could only describe as disappointed, Captain Callistis departed, an awkward silence immediately gripping the room. Diana was the one to break the silence. “As the Duchess of Wedinburgh, I am not entirely constrained by the rules of Luna Nova. Akko, I can still officially denounce these two and have them banished from my lands.”

Akko took in a deep breath, wincing as her hand went to her side. “Not necessary,” she said with a grimace. “Our differences will be resolved on Saturday.”

Diana frowned. “Akko, they beat you so hard that you were definitely suffering from a bad concussion. They could have crippled or even killed you.”

Hannah scoffed, her fists still clenched. “We had more self-control than that, Diana. We were sending a message, not trying to kill her.”

“You could have bloody fooled me!” Diana snarled as she whirled on her once-friend. “Did you or did you not use magic to enhance your strength? Did you or did you not blind her with a spell?! How _dare_ you say that you had control! The way she’s holding her side even now tells me that you bruised her ribs at the least, though I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you broke them, and if they are broken, all it would have taken was for a fractured rib to puncture a lung and she very well could have drowned to death in her own blood! And message?! What _fucking_ message were you trying to send?!”

“Diana.” Akko’s voice was soft, but managed to dispel enough of Diana’s anger that she was able to regain control of her furiously roiling emotions as the Japanese witch continued speaking. “As I said, we’ll resolve our differences on Saturday. England, we’ll give some meaning behind the match other than us beating the tar out of one another. The loser will have to do what the victor wants, so long as it isn’t illegal or immoral.”

Hannah sneered. “That’s too easy. After I win, you’ll go back to Japan where you belong.”

Diana didn’t miss the way that Akko flinched at those words, how her face became closed off, carefully composed, almost as though she were hiding a deep hurt caused by the words, and for a moment Diana was confused…until it hit her. Akko…she was Japanese, but she didn’t really belong in Japan anymore. She didn’t have a family for her there, and if her family had been killed during an evacuation, then her home was also very likely gone, as well. And Akko hadn’t made it any secret that she was striving to become an SMS Witch, which would oblige her to serving the British Army and Her Majesty the Queen. She wasn’t at Luna Nova to learn skills to take back to Japan, she was at Luna Nova to become the absolute best that she could in order to fight the Grimm.

Regardless, nothing more could be accomplished by having Hannah and Barbara in the room with them. “Two things. You are to refer to me as Cadet Cavendish until told otherwise, Recruits Parker and England. Second…your uniforms are out of regulation. Report this discrepancy to Colonel Finnelan with the suggestion that you report for KP on Wednesday evening. This is an order. Is that understood?” Barbara flinched and Hannah glowered, but they nodded. “Further, if I so much as hear a hint that you are plotting against Recruit Kagari, I will do everything in my power to ensure that justice is properly dispensed. This is your one and only warning. Dismissed.” When the two of them hesitated for just a moment too long, her eyes narrowed. “Get. _Out_.”

They popped to attention, did an About Turn, and marched out of the room, Hannah closing the door with perhaps a bit too much force…not quite enough for it to be a proper slam, but the door closed sharply, punctuating their tense departure. The silence lasted for a beat longer before Akko abruptly groaned, seeming to deflate as she clutched at her ribs, and Diana was instantly crouching by her side, casting a more in depth healing spell. Akko sighed in relief at that, relaxing as the pain faded. “Are you okay?” Diana asked softly, and Akko nodded, teeth still slightly clenched.

“I will be,” she muttered, then tilted her head curiously, only to wince slightly at the movement as Diana went to her desk and pulled open a drawer, fetching her first aid kit. “You’re done using magic?” she asked, brows slightly furrowed.

Diana nodded as she made her way back to Akko, kneeling once more by her side as she opened up the kit, pulling out various supplies. “As odd as it may sound, healing magic isn’t ‘magic,’” she explained as she squeezed out some antiseptic on a gauze pad. “It’s not a miracle, it’s more like…the magic is forcing your body to heal itself in a greatly reduced amount of time. What would take days or weeks can now be healed in the span of moments, but…well, it’s taxing on your body, and can result in complications if overused.” She shrugged apologetically. “It is better to let your body heal normally, but your ribs and nose and concussion needed immediate attention. For the minor scrapes and bruises, we’ll let those heal on their own.” She lifted the gauze pad. “This may sting a little.”

She wasn’t lying. At the first touch, Akko hissed and flinched back, a wince on her face, and Diana frowned slightly. “Hold still,” she said, voice exasperated, but that wasn’t the thing that had Akko freezing and staring at her with wide crimson eyes…no, it was the underlying but undeniably heartfelt concern that did so. Diana froze as well, gauze still held in her hand, and they were both blushing slightly, weren’t they? What was this tension that held them in its grip, the charge in the air? Warmth under her palm, and Diana swallowed heavily as she broke her gaze with Akko, looking down to see her hand on the other girl’s knee, and she snatched her hand back as though she had been scalded. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s…it’s fine,” Akko replied, voice slightly rough, and she cleared her throat. “I, uh…I won’t flinch this time.”

Diana drew in a deep breath. “Right. Yes, of course.” Now she was careful to keep her free hand to herself as she brought the gauze back up, and true to Akko’s word, she didn’t flinch this time, and Diana diligently tended to her wounds. Eager to put _whatever_ that had been behind them, Diana spoke as she worked. “Akko…are you certain you actually want to fight Hannah?”

Akko’s face grew determined. “Yes. We’ll resolve our differences then.”

Diana frowned and bit her lip, unease running through her. “Akko, Hannah is one of the better boxers at Luna Nova. She placed in the top three last year during the boxing competition last year. She’s really good.” And then, after a short pause and spoken much more quietly: “I don’t want you to leave.”

Akko smiled reassuringly. “I think I’ll be able to hold my own. Don’t worry, I’m pretty tough!”

The words did nothing to diminish the ball of nerves in her gut. Especially since it was delivered by someone bruised and battered. But she was resolved to support Akko on this. It had been her decision to have the match, after all. Silence took the room, and Diana diligently tended to the last of Akko’s injuries before almost tenderly cleaning away the dried blood from her face that Captain Callistis missed. “There,” she finally said with a smile that she didn’t really feel as she stood up. “You’ll need a few days for your body to fully recover, but you’ll be as fit as a fiddle in no time.”

She didn’t expect Akko’s next words. “Diana…I’m sorry.”

Diana blinked, confused at the apology. “What do you have to be sorry for?”

“Your fight with your friends.” Akko’s head cocked inquisitively. “Haven’t you been with them for a long time?”

Diana paused at that, hands tightening on the first aid kit, the metal creaking slightly under her fingers. “Yes,” she admitted flatly. “We have been. Still, there is no reason for you to apologize. You didn’t force them to do what they did.”

“But if I wasn’t here…” Akko started, and Diana snapped.

“No!” The word had exploded out of her with considerably more force than she had meant to say it with, but she couldn’t deny the ugly twinge to her heart at the thought of never having met Akko. Why did it hurt so much to think of that? “No, it’s not your fault. You have just as much right to be here as they do, and they could have done other things to resolve whatever conflict they felt existed. They had no right to attack you. Do not apologize for what they’ve done, no matter _how_ long they’ve been my friends.”

Akko’s expression was still conflicted and unconvinced, but she nodded anyway. “If you say so…” she said softly, words drawing off. Then she perked up again. “Hey, so, I had some questions about tonight’s homework, and needed your help with some stuff.”

Diana took the hint and dropped the topic, and they got to work on it. Akko had shown an interest in trying to take the Corporal Aptitude Test, which was the highest recruit rank she could make as a second year, but that would give her a lot more responsibility than her current Recruit Lance Corporal. And as a Recruit Corporal, when they were placed in student leadership positions over First Term recruits in March, she'd be in charge of a section, rather than just her team. It would be a challenge for her, but one of the advantages was that the CAT was assessed by members of the British Military, not just by Luna Nova staff. Further, it was less a test of her magical ability, but her ability to be a leader. Personally, Diana felt that Akko had a solid chance of passing. And anything that Diana could do as a Cadet Second Lieutenant, she would. As she put away her first aid kit, a brief frown crossed her face. Starting this Friday, actually…

Thankfully Thursday passed without incident, though word of the beating the Akko had received circulated through the school like wildfire, and she was given a wide berth. Apparently most of the students felt it was safer not to be associated with her, just in case that would rope them into whatever twisted game Hannah was playing. But it was good because it gave them some breathing room to work with.

Now, Friday…Friday was the first time she was deliberately insubordinate against a cadre member. What Akko had said before had really stuck with her, and the previous room inspection had revealed just how bad it was. Colonel Finnelan really had no right to fail Akko just because of strings on the inside of the cuff that weren’t even visible. It was petty and it was wrong. So on Friday, Diana went over the room with Akko, from top to bottom, using magic and elbow grease to make sure the room was completely spotless. Then Diana went over Akko’s foot and wall lockers with a ruler to make sure everything was absolutely perfect, down to the last millimeter. But then, while Akko was making her bed (and she was really good at that…you really could bounce a 2 pence coin off of her bedding!) Diana discretely lifted the lapel of one of Akko’s dress uniforms and deposited a piece of lint on it. It was a small thing, almost unnoticeable, and with the lapel properly down, no one would have any idea that it existed.

Glancing at Akko to make sure she hadn’t been noticed, she moved over to her own lockers and went over them one last time, making the last minute adjustments, including to her own lapel. Her heart was already starting to pound in her chest. This was quite possibly foolish, and could get her in quite a lot of trouble…but then her blue eyes flicked over to Akko, who was admiring her handiwork with the beds, and a small smile touched her lips. She might get in trouble, but Akko was worth it.

Colonel Finnelan arrived shortly after that, a severe look on her face and white gloves on her hands, and Diana and Akko stood by their respective lockers. The first thing that the older officer did was go over the overall cleanliness of the room, and Diana felt a certain amount of satisfaction that those white gloves remained as pristine as ever, no matter which crook and cranny Colonel Finnelan checked with them. But no congratulations on a job well done, despite it being far cleaner in here than was necessary to pass. Instead, Colonel Finnelan only gave Diana’s kit a cursory glance, and Diana felt her lips tighten with displeasure. After all, it should have been obvious…

The inspection of Akko’s lockers and equipment took much longer, but then, they had both worked so hard on it. Every last speck of dirt and dust removed from her tactical gear, her boots shined to a mirror polish, her uniforms neatly pressed and her clothes organized to exact regulation…Akko’s side of the room would have made a Grenadier Guard Sergeant Major weep for joy, and could certainly be used as an example of what perfection looked like. But Finnelan wouldn’t let it rest. First she checked the uniforms for loose threads (including the insides of the sleeves, but Diana had personally seen to making sure there were none), and then she started looking for anything else, long after she would have passed any other recruit or cadet, and anger burned in Diana’s chest. Yes, her plan was the right course of action. This was not fair, what Finnelan was doing!

Then, she found it. She turned the lapel over and paused, before smirking almost triumphantly. “Lint under your collar, Recruit Kagari?” she almost crowed. “I expected such sloppiness from you.”

Akko’s face betrayed her confusion…she had gone over her uniform with a fine tooth comb, and had made sure to get rid of any lint. “But…” she started, voice almost lost, and Diana hated that it had been necessary to plant the lint, but it _was_ necessary.

“No excuses. Your weekend pass is revoked. I will inform Major Badcock.”

Diana stepped forward, careful to keep her face passive even as her fists clenched at the unfairness of it all. “Ma’am, the cadet wishes for permission to speak freely.”

Finnelan shot her a sharp glance, the message in her eyes clear: _what are you playing at?_ But she didn’t have a good reason to deny the request, especially not from Diana Cavendish. “Granted.”

“Ma’am, Luna Nova and British Army regulations state that pieces of lint less than a millimeter in diameter under lapels are not sufficient for a weekend pass to be revoked during inspections, as it is recognized that our uniforms are wool and produce lint. The piece of lint on Recruit Kagari’s uniform is only a half millimeter wide. Further…” Diana took two strides to her own dress uniform, and lifted the lapel, where a piece of lint far larger than the one on Akko’s uniform lay in the exact same spot. “I appear to have an out of regulation piece of lint on _my_ uniform.” She pulled out her drawers, and pointed at the items within that Colonel Finnelan had only just briefly glanced at before. “Additionally, I seem to have been sloppy in stowing my belongings…they, too, are out of regulations. I would dare say that of the two of us, the only individual who actually deserves to have her weekend pass revoked is myself…ma’am.”

Colonel Finnelan stared at her for a very, very long and tense moment, Akko’s wide-eyed gaze flitting between the two of them. Finally Colonel Finnelan spoke, her voice like ice. “Recruit Kagari, step outside.”

Akko hesitated, but before Finnelan could snap at her, she was moving, crossing the room swiftly before closing the door behind her. It didn’t take long for Finnelan to start. “Cadet Cavendish, that will be the last time that you ever correct me in front of another student, am I understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“It is _my_ discretion on who gets a weekend pass and who doesn’t.”

“I understand that, ma’am, but except for that small piece of lint that _I _placed there, Akko…err, Recruit Kagari’s gear is immaculate and entirely to regulation. If it were anyone else, you would have passed her twenty minutes ago. You _wanted_ to find something wrong.”

Finnelan’s face was thunderous. “That is enough, _cadet_! The recruit is a menace and a threat to the honor of this school! If she cannot achieve perfection, she should leave! I used to think you felt the same way, but that it clearly not the case.” She paused, narrowing angrily glittering eyes at Diana. “Both of your weekend passes are revoked for the rest of the month. If you ever challenge me like this again, you will regret it, is that understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Diana said, words stiff. Honestly, though, the punishment wasn’t as severe as it could have been. She had that to be thankful for, at least.

Finnelan shot her one last glare and marched over to the door, throwing it open, only pausing to glower at Akko before she continued on down the hall, angry footsteps echoing in the passageway. Akko almost meekly came in, and Diana smiled apologetically at her. “Sorry for putting the lint on your collar.”

Akko shrugged. “If she didn’t find that, she’d find something.” Then she grinned. “So, we’re gonna be no-pass buddies for a month, huh?”

Diana smiled as she straightened out her drawers. She had only messed it up slightly to prove her point, and couldn’t stand it being in disarray anymore. “It certainly appears to be that way.” Then the smile melted away. “Akko, are you ready for tomorrow?”

Tomorrow. The boxing match. The one where if she lost, she’d leave. The match that Diana hadn’t seen her prepare at all for. Granted, there hadn’t been much time in which to prepare, but still…it wasn’t reassuring in the slightest.

Akko nodded, face determined. “Yes. I am.” Then she relaxed, chuckling slightly. “But I don’t want to spend the rest of the evening focused on that. Come on, you still haven’t picked up Go yet.”

Diana sniffed indignantly at that. “And you still haven’t learned chess.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll learn chess if you learn Go.”

The rest of the evening passed thus, Akko doing her best to keep Diana distracted with her innate cheeriness, and Diana did try her best to play along, but worry still ate at her. She knew how good Hannah actually was, but had no idea how well Akko could box, if at all. She couldn’t help but think it was yet another of Akko’s harebrained schemes doomed to failure from the start.

And again, the thought of Akko having to leave was like a kick to the gut, and as they retired for the evening, the same thought kept running through Diana’s head: _please don’t take her from me, please don’t take her from me, please don’t take her from me!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm sure that you've all noticed the title change. I decided to make it a full crossover with RWBY (hence the couple of mentions of Beacon Academy) and our favorite huntresses will be appearing down the road. For right now, we're still focused more on the LWA side of the house.
> 
> I've also changed the structure of how Luna Nova works. It has two programs, one for enlisted and the other for officers, to be differentiated by 'recruit' and 'cadet'. Diana is a Cadet Second Lieutenant right now, and will commission as an officer upon graduation. Akko is a Recruit Lance Corporal looking at getting promoted to Corporal in the near future. The first term has the most applicants (around 1000), and gets witches up to speed in military matters over the course of six months, allowing them to be attached to regular military units fighting the Grimm. Everyone on the Red, Green, and Blue teams except for Sucy and Akko started their first term on 2 March 2020. Second year is more leadership focused, with the first six months spent learning how to be a leader, and the second six months actually spent leading the incoming class of recruits. The second term sees a lot of foreign witches (like Akko) working to get trained up on military magic before either continuing in the program or returning to their home militaries. The third year is the hardest, and is the year that witches can try out for the Special Magic Service regiment. It has an atrociously high drop out rate. There are also other 3rd year programs, such as Divination, Artificers, Research and Development, and the Magical Medical Corps. These will all be explored much more in depth, and follow on chapters are going to feature the other witches of Akko's class a lot more, as well as go more in depth on how the Luna Nova year groups operate. The scope is gonna increase, y'all. This gonna get big.


	7. The Next Ten Seconds of Her Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the boxing match has finally arrived. Will Akko be able to beat Recruit England and remain at Luna Nova, or will she face defeat and be left at the mercy of the one recruit at Luna Nova who loathes her with every fiber of her being?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, everyone! I was really hoping to post this on the 1st, but I just barely didn't make the deadline! I hope everyone is having a wonderful New Year, and may 2020 bring you all that you hope for.
> 
> I have also gone and updated all previously posted chapters, mainly ensuring that all recruits are properly addressed as such and changing all the Veiled references to Grimm. And speaking of 2020, this story begins thereof, with everyone on the RGB teams starting their Luna Nova education on 2 March 2020 and Akko and Sucy joining them at the beginning of their second term on 31 August 2020. This chapter takes place on 5 December 2020, the first Saturday of the month.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

The Next Ten Seconds of Her Life

The morning of the boxing match was greeted with an air of festivity by the majority of the students of Luna Nova, their twittering and gossiping about odds filling the air and setting Diana’s teeth on edge as she and Akko made their way to the canteen for breakfast. Akko had been more subdued already, her face more somber than its usual cheerful cast from the moment they had awakened, but whatever she was feeling, it didn’t certainly didn’t impact her appetite. She ate with the same gusto that she always did, and Diana couldn’t help but look on with some awe. Her own nerves kept her servings small, and what she had she only just barely picked at. Nerves not only for the looming match, but also because this was the first time she sat at the red and green table, and the mood…well, it could be better.

Mealtime had always been when Akko was able to catch up with her friends, and Diana had never intruded on that, knowing that it was good for Akko to get a break from her and obligation, good for her to just _be_. Diana _couldn’t_ interrupt that, not with good conscience. And then, the bathroom incident. After the incident earlier in the week, Diana had sat all alone, as she still didn’t wanted to violate that sanctity, but she couldn’t sit with Hannah and Barbara for obvious reasons. So it had come as something of a surprise when Akko had insisted that she join them that morning…but Diana had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t something she had discussed with her other table mates, as Manbavaran and O’Neill had both glared at her when she had hesitatingly put her tray down. Only Jansson and Antonenko had greeted her with a smile, but even those were strained. Though, honestly, that strain could have been due to the upcoming match than from Diana’s presence at the table.

Conversation was stilted, what few topics were brought up dying quickly. And yet the rest of the canteen wouldn’t _shut up_, many of them looking over at Akko’s table with smirks on their faces. Hannah…Hannah seemed completely unconcerned, laughing with Avery, Mary, and Blair, though Barbara didn’t seem to share their mirth, and Diana caught her looking over at her several times, regret clear on her face. But whatever regret she was feeling wasn’t enough to have her come over and apologize, more’s the pity.

Then, a surprise. As breakfast was wrapping up, O’Neill cleared her throat, getting the attention of everyone at the joined tables, but she was staring only at Diana when she spoke, her expression unusually serious. “Cadet Cavendish, mind if I had a word with you?” The formality of the request was what took Diana the most by surprise. O’Neill did _not_ do formal…it was one of the things she frequently got in trouble with the cadre about, her almost adamant refusal to comply with customs and courtesies rubbing many an instructor the wrong way…so for her to be so polite and formal with Diana? It was significant, but Diana didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Still, she had no reason to say no. She glanced at Akko, who looked just as confused as Diana by the out of character request. Hmm, so she didn’t know about this. Interesting.

“Yes, of course, Recruit Corporal. I’d be glad to.”

They all gathered up their trays and brought them to the tray return, depositing them and exiting the dining facility. “I’ll meet up with you back at our room,” she reassured Akko. They were planning on going over more of the Corporal test, though Diana knew that was going to be difficult for her. For every note that they were to go over, she would be consumed by one thought and one thought alone: what if their studying was for nothing? What if Akko would have to leave before she ever took the test? It was…_torture_. She both desperately wished that noon would never come, that Akko wouldn’t have to face Hannah in order to stay a student at Luna Nova…and also that it was just _over_ with, that they wouldn’t have the damned contest looming over them like this! She hated it all, but there was nothing she could do besides endure, and support Akko through this wretched morning. And first on the list, the conversation with Amanda.

The two of them stepped to the side in the hallway outside the canteen, and Amanda stood for a moment, looking rather uncomfortable, the silence between them quickly growing uncomfortable. But Diana had no idea what the American wanted to talk about, so she couldn’t really meaningfully start the conversation. And so she also stood there, silent and still as opposed to Amanda’s fidgeting. Then, finally, Amanda spoke. “I just wanted to say…sorry.”

Diana blinked, confused. “What for?” she asked, feeling slightly lost.

Amanda took a deep breath, blushing slightly before she continued. “Well, I always viewed you as a stuck-up bitch.” At the blunt words, Diana’s eyes narrowed. Amanda must have seen the cross expression, because she brought her hands up disarmingly. “Okay, that sounds bad, but…well, I was wrong about you. A stuck-up bitch wouldn’t have done all the things you’ve done for Akko. She’s worked hard to get where she is today, but she wouldn’t be as far along as she is without your help. And, well, I feel really bad for what I felt about you. You’re good people. So,” she said as she stuck out her hand, “let bygones be bygones?”

“Certainly,” Diana said as she shook Amanda’s hand. “I suppose you aren’t the only one who owes an apology.” At Amanda’s curious tilt of her head, she continued. “I thought of you as hard-headed, arrogant, and chaotic.”

Amanda laughed out loud at that. “Oh, don’t apologize for that!” She winked. “After all, it’s all true.” Then her expression grew serious once more. “So…Akko. You worried, too? Hannah was a beast last term. I mean…she beat _me_. Only because I had just come off my match with Avery and Hannah had longer to rest, of course! But still…she hits like a fucking freight train, even with those gloves.”

Diana nodded. Recruit Antonenko had taken first place during their First Term, which wasn’t too terribly surprising. The Russian girl was a _lot_ stronger than she looked, and had won against Diana by knockout…even with magic healing, Diana had a headache a day later. Diana had only won against Hannah because she was faster and about as strong as Hannah was, but that speed hadn’t mattered against Antonenko, who seemed completely unaffected by the blows that Diana had landed on her. Diana had been faster, but her speed hadn’t been enough to overcome Antonenko’s stamina and strength. If Akko was fighting Antonenko, Diana knew that there’d be no hope, but even against Hannah…the odds just weren’t in her favor. Physical training was only mandatory in the morning, but Hannah also made use of the boxing gym in the afternoons, and had made it known that she was gunning for first place this year. Given her own increased responsibilities, Diana wasn’t sure who’d win in a boxing match right now, her or Hannah. And Akko? Akko also worked out a lot in her free time, but it wasn’t training for boxing, it was prep for the SMS trials, and so was functional strength with military action in mind. Diana knew that Akko did know a martial arts style, but it wasn’t boxing, and if her body had muscle memory to do moves that weren’t allowed in boxing, then that was yet another handicap against her.

“I am worried,” she admitted. “But at this point, all we can do is trust in Akko.”

Amanda nodded, her expression concerned. “Akko also told us about the wager, and that Hannah wants to send her back to Japan. We can’t let that happen.”

“We’ll obviously do everything we can to prevent that. If…if Akko does lose, there are actions I can take to keep her here, but given that Akko already knows what Han…er, Recruit England wants, there’s only so much I can realistically do.”

“Mmm. Well, I guess that’s it then.” A surprisingly sincere look. “You’ll take care of her?”

Now it was Diana’s turn to nod. “Yes. For as long as I’m able.”

A crooked grin. “Good. I trust you to it.” Once again Amanda offered her hand. “Once again, Diana…sorry. And thanks.” One final handshake, and they parted ways, both of their hearts troubled over the looming match.

xxxXXXxxx

Noon came upon them far too quickly, and soon Diana and Akko made their way out of the building. It was a brisk day despite the clear skies, only 9° Celsius, with a sharp wind from the west. Diana was wearing the No. 13 Temperate Barrack Dress, the pullover helping protect against the wind. Akko was marching next to her in her fitness uniform, her face stony. She would strip out of the olive green tracksuit at the boxing ring, but for now she was sticking with the authorized uniform for the day. The two of them were joined shortly after they left the building by Lotte, Sucy, Constanze, Jasminka, and Amanda, and all of them were also in their No. 13 uniforms, as would the rest of the student body that had come to observe the match. And judging by the dull roar from the athletics field, they could expect a substantial crowd. Great, that’s just what Akko needed…for the school to come and spectate her like she was merely an attraction, not someone literally fighting for her chance to remain a student at Luna Nova.

To Diana’s surprise, Akko’s other friends seamlessly joined their march, maintaining high levels of professionalism, marching in step with them, arms swinging wide. Diana knew for a fact that at that Amanda, at the very least, hated marching in the British style, but now there was no complaint or hesitation from her. They were presenting a uniform front in support of Akko. The entire school may have turned against Akko, but they hadn’t. They never would.

The dull roar grew louder with each step they took, and soon the sports field came into view, and Diana’s stride almost faltered. Yes, it looked like most of the student body was there…more than a thousand of them, so many that temporary stands had to be erected so that they could all see the boxing ring set up in the middle of the field. Hannah’s skill and strength at boxing was well known from their last term, and Akko was arguably one of the most infamous students at the school. Everyone knew who she was. Of course everyone would want to see this fight.

The crowd grew silent as the seven of them came closer, the peering faces almost growing hungry, and it took considerable willpower for Diana to keep her face expressionless as they continued their march up to the boxing ring itself. Hannah and Barbara were already there, the two of them joined by Avery, with Captain Callistis and Majors Nelson and Meridies present. Hannah was in the ring, idly chewing her mouth guard, boxing gloves already on, and she smirked at them, hazel eyes tracking Akko as they made their final approach. 11:54.

“We’ll take her corner,” Lotte said gently after they came to a halt and fell out. “The rest of you should be able to stay by the ring and support her.”

Diana nodded, gave one last glance at Akko, who met her gaze. Diana tried to give her a reassuring smile, but…well, she wasn’t entirely certain how convincing it was. Then Akko was turning away, stripping off her tracksuit, revealing the t-shirt and shorts underneath. The Japanese witch gave the waiting Hannah one last glance, her face stony before she stripped off her shirt as well, going down to the sports bra she had on underneath the shirt, and Diana’s thoughts stuttered to a halt as Akko began to limber up, muscles rippling under olive skin. Lotte quickly did Akko’s brunette hair up into a tight bun as Sucy helped her get her gloves on, and the crowd began to buzz as Diana forced herself to look away, to look at anything other than Akko. She had seen her in various states of undress, but there was something about the current situation that had Akko’s exposed skin hitting Diana much harder than it ever had, and she had to fight the blush away.

“She’s looking good, huh?”

Diana jumped slightly at that, not expecting Amanda’s voice, and she gave a short glare at the American recruit who waggled her eyebrows at her. “Is now really the time?” she hissed as she scanned the crowd closest to the ring. Huh. There was a small section of recruits in their first term who were holding signs showing their support of Akko, and they were glaring at the other students around them. So they weren’t the only ones supporting Akko. Interesting.

“Eh, why not now?” Amanda asked as Akko stepped into the ring before taking her mouth guard into her mouth, jaw moving as she got it settled into place. 11:58.

“Because now Akko needs us supporting her rather than mooning over her,” Diana shot back, her hands trembling slightly and her heart pounding in her chest, and she watched like a hawk as Hannah and Akko made their way to the center of the ring, Hannah glaring at Akko, who met the glare with a determined expression, her jaw set. 11:59.

Captain Callistis came up to the two of them, and went over the rules she was expecting, but Diana wouldn’t be able to recall a single word she said, the instructor’s voice little more than a buzzing in her ears as she stared at Akko. The time had come, and Akko was now going to have to fight for her life. Captain Callistis glanced at the Hannah and Akko once more before raising her hand, looking at her watch. “Touch gloves!” she ordered, and the crowd grew silent once more as Hannah and Akko raised their hands, bringing the gloves together. 12:00.

Captain Callistis brought her hand down with a sharp slash and darted back out of the way. The match had begun.

Just as Diana had suspected, Hannah didn’t wait even a single second, bobbing and weaving as she danced in, and soon she was unleashing a punishing flurry of blows on Akko, who could do little more than keep up a defense, Hannah not giving her any opportunity to counterattack. And even if she had that opportunity, Hannah kept up her own solid defense even in the midst of her attack…if Akko had managed to find any time at all to punch back, she wouldn’t have been able to land a blow of substance, and soon Diana was gritting her teeth in frustration. If things continued like this, Hannah wouldn’t need to win by KO or TKO, she’d clearly win solely on points alone!

The three minutes of the first round were torture, especially with how the crowd was roaring its approval of how Hannah was beating down the upstart recruit from lands far off. But finally, after a small eternity of Hannah completely dominating the fight, the bell finally rang, and the two retreated back to their corners, taking the break to get toweled off and get a drink of water. Even after just three minutes of the match, both of them were steaming in the cool air, and Hannah was grinning, obviously pleased with how the first round had gone, while Akko maintained her stony visage, accepting the water from Lotte and the towel from Sucy. “Come on, Akko, you’ve got this!” Diana called out past cupped hands, and Akko glanced briefly at her, her expression not changing as she returned her gaze to Hannah. Had she seen the terrible truth in Diana’s eyes, heard the lie on her voice? Diana didn’t know, but she hoped that her encouragement gave Akko at least a little strength, helped her gather her resolve. Then she glanced at Hannah, only to see her once friend sneering at her. Nothing to be done about that, at least not now.

“Boxers ready!”

The two of them stood up once more, Hannah dancing lightly on her feet as she shook her arms out, whereas Akko kept more subdued, gloves coming up in a guard, and Diana winced as she realized she could already see welts and red marks against her sweaty arms and sides. She hadn’t taken any truly bad blows, but Hannah had landed plenty of hits. “Come on, Akko,” Diana said, much more quietly this time, more to herself as the second round began, and Hannah and Akko came together once more. “You’ve got this, _fight_!”

But it wasn’t to be. Much like during the first round, Hannah completely dominated this round. Akko did throw more punches this time, but only a quarter of what Hannah gave her, and only a half of that quarter were worth any points. Meanwhile Hannah continued her onslaught, gloves landing even more punishing blows against Akko’s arms and sides and belly, and she even managed to land one particularly hard blow against the side of Akko’s head, sending her stumbling for a second, a second that had Diana’s heart almost stopping in her chest…she only started breathing again when Akko managed to get her guard back up before Hannah could exploit the misstep. The second round ended shortly after that, and Diana only had to glance very briefly at the three cadre to see the truth on their grim faces: Akko was losing, and very badly.

“Goddammit,” she hissed under her breath. “This isn’t good!”

“No,” Amanda replied, but Diana could hear the thoughtful frown on her voice, and so turned to peer curiously at the American.

“You noticed it too, Amanda?” Jasminka murmured, a bag of opened potato crisps held in her hands, but for once she wasn’t eating from it, her eyes instead focused on the ring rather than her snack food, and her face was also very uncharacteristically serious.

“Noticed what?” Diana asked, confused.

“Mmm…it might be nothing, but…I don’t know, this isn’t like Akko. I’ve done some fooling around with her, just rough housing shit, and she fights like a damn tiger. I’ve never seen her so fucking _passive_ before. It’s weird.”

Before Diana could really process that, the third round began, and Hannah went back to work, gloved fists finding the areas she had struck before, landing blows against the welts and bruises that she had put on Akko’s body, and both of them were moving more slowly, Hannah losing some of the ferocity of the first two rounds, not that that meant much…she could afford to ease up the pressure, and she kept her form as flawless as always, not giving Akko any opening to exploit. Wincing as Hannah kept up the pressure, Diana turned to Amanda. “I…I couldn’t hear Captain Callistis, how many rounds?”

Amanda turned surprised green eyes on her. “You were that worked up? Really?” She paused for a second at that, really seeming to _look_ at Diana before she hummed thoughtfully. “Ten. So this is about a third of the way through.”

Not good. Not good at all. The bell rang once more, and the two boxers separated again, retreating to their corners, their bodies now well and truly drenching in sweat, the steam rising off their bodies being dispersed by the wind. “Hmm. That’s interesting,” Amanda said after a moment, while Akko and Hannah were once again getting toweled off and having water get squirted into their mouths.

“What is?” Diana asked, words clipped.

Amanda snorted. “What, you seriously haven’t noticed? A’ight, tell me the difference between England and Akko right now.”

Diana frowned, her head swiveling as she compared the two. Hannah was leaning back on her stool, arms up on the ropes, and while she was grinning at Barbara and Avery as they tended to her, she was also breathing very heavily, chest rising and falling rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. Akko…

…Akko was _not_ breathing heavily. Yes, she was sweating, but her breaths came deep and slow, and her attention was focused on Hannah, her gaze sharp as it had been when they began, and even when she turned her head and opened her mouth to accept some more water from Lotte, she kept her eyes focused on Hannah. “Oh,” Diana murmured.

“Yup!” Amanda crowed, and Diana glanced at the green team to see Constanze giving a thumbs up and Jasminka eating from her bag of crisps, and Amanda was grinning sharply. “I bet you anything that whatever Akko has planned…she’s going to do very soon. Just you wait…she isn’t out of the fight yet!”

xxxXXXxxx

Akko’s arms and sides stung and ached from all the blows that England had landed on her, but she was still strong. She still had a few really good blows left in her. She could still fight!

If only England would _let_ her! Kami-sama, the girl’s defense was good! She hadn’t given Akko anything to work with, which was troubling. Akko knew enough about boxing that she knew that even if she started fighting back with the same intensity that England had come at her with in the first three rounds, she’d still lose on points. No, if she wanted to win, it would have to be by knock out. But England just wasn’t giving her anything to work with!

It would have to be soon. It _had_ to be soon! If Akko waited too long, she wouldn’t have the strength left to hit hard enough for it to count, and with each round, England’s flurry of blows chipped away at Akko’s strength. Her moment would _have_ to come in the next few minutes or else Akko would lose.

“Boxers ready!”

Oh, how she was coming to hate that sentence! “We believe in you, Akko!” Lotte called out softly, voice reassuring.

“Kick her ass, Akko,” Sucy offered, voice dark. She had offered to give Akko a little something to give her a boost, but Akko wanted to…no, she _had_ to win this on her own strength. Anything else would make it meaningless.

She stood, ears catching the noise of Lotte and Sucy leaving the ring with the stool and the towels and water. Here they went again!

Same as before, keep the guard up. Rely on the protective sheath of muscle protecting her sides and arms and gut, don’t let England get a good blow to the head. She had taken some glancing hits, and even those had buzzed her head…England hit _hard_, and despite to gravity of the situation, Akko had to admire the other girl. England had worked hard to be as good as she was, and that dedication had to be respected.

The excited roaring of the crowd fell away as they came together, England’s fists unleashing yet another punishing round of blows against Akko, and she bit down on her mouth guard as she endured it, peering between her gloves, biding her time, waiting for the perfect moment, watching how England heaved for breath, her blows coming a fraction of a second slower, though they still maintained all the same strength as before.

Then…it happened.

Everything dragged to a crawl as England tried to sidestep, and her foot slid in the grass of the sport field, and that threw off her balance ever so slightly…but that ever so slightly was what Akko was waiting for, what she was praying for! She wondered if England even realized what had happened as she threw the blow that was aimed at the side of Akko’s head. It didn’t matter, really, Akko realized as her body tensed in preparation for what was to come. All that mattered was that the next ten seconds of her life would decide if she stayed at Luna Nova or if she went back to Japan. This was it. She _knew_, then and there, that this was her only chance…she wouldn’t get another one.

Akko ducked, crouching at the knees, and even with how tired England was, it was _such_ a close thing…as it was, England’s glove and forearm glanced off the top of her head, but this was it…her arm was extended, her guard broken!

Akko’s blow came from her entire body, from her knees driving her springing back up to her back twisting into the strike to her shoulders propelling the punch to her left arm snaking over England’s upper arm, all of it to drive Akko’s glove square into the side of England’s face, the shock of the blow reverberating back down Akko’s arm clear to her shoulder. A _perfect_ hit, one that knocked England back a few stumbling paces, a hit that _had_ to be joined by others…England was still in the fight. And so Akko darted forward, ready with a one-two combo, but not one aimed at England’s head. No, her opponent had brought her arms up protectively, relying on instincts that ran deeper than the daze that Akko’s punch _had_ to have given her to protect herself…but in protecting her head, she left her sides open.

First the right, a punishing blow to England’s floating ribs, and even over the pounding of her own heart and the rasp of her own breath, Akko could _hear_ the whoosh of air that escaped England’s lungs as Akko sprang sharply to the left and drilled England on the other side.

The first brutal blow to the head to daze her, the hits to her torso to drive the air from her lungs and make it hard to breath, all three blows striving for an opening for the fourth…an opening that Akko got. England’s arms dropped, her eyes already going blank as she tried to suck in a breath to unresponsive lungs, and for a moment time stood still, and Akko could see _everything_…the auburn hair lying in thick tendrils over a sweaty brow and across muscled shoulder, the small trickle of blood from the nose, the ribbon of spit that had escaped the opened mouth, the way that legs were already starting to crumple as the arms continued to fall, fall, fall…

Impact against her right fist that shook her right arm all the way to the shoulder, stronger than the one that had quaked her left arm. She had thrown absolutely everything into this punch, driving her entire body into the blow, and England’s head snapped back like a pez dispenser, mouth guard flying through the air, and Akko was already backing up to her corner with her gloves down when England hit the ground, bouncing slightly before she came to a halt, eyes fluttering.

Absolute dead silence took the field as Akko reached her corner, and she threw her shaking, weak arms over the ropes, resting her body as the three cadre checked England, confirming what Akko already knew.

Captain Callistis turned, looked squarely at her, and gave a small smile, red eyes fiercely proud behind her glasses. “Recruit Lance Corporal Kagari wins by knockout of her opponent!”

The crowd erupted into a confused uproar as relief took away the remaining strength in Akko’s legs, and she sank to the ground. She was going to stay. She was going to stay! _She was going to stay_!


	8. The Victor's Spoils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko has won her boxing match with Hannah, but now the question remains: what will she demand? What boon will she claim from her opponent for her hard won victory? She had faced the threat of being forced to drop out from the course, and so has the right to demand the same if not more from her foe. Will she claim revenge for all the pain and humiliation she had suffered at Hannah's hands? Or will she use this moment to push herself forward to the hopeful future, where she is not just an SMS Witch in name, but also in deed?

The Victor’s Spoils

It was almost anticlimactic, what followed. Sure, her friends practically mobbed her and were completely besides themselves with excitement for her victory, but then the cadre and class leaders were herding all the spectators back to the school, and through it all, Akko remained in her corner, letting her strength return. _Kami-sama_, it had been such a close thing! Those four blows and all the punishment she had received from England had taken everything out of her, and had England kept her feet, if Akko hadn’t managed to knock her out…it had been too close. Far too close.

Speaking of England…Akko glanced to where her opponent was lying on the field. She was okay so far as Akko could tell. The staff had been able to rouse her with a quick healing spell, and she had even spoken with her friends briefly before she had laid down while they joined the throng of cadets and recruits returning to the main building. She likely doing the same thing that Akko was doing: recovering from the fight.

Tugging at Akko’s hands, and she turned her attention to Sucy and Lotte as they pulled her gloves off. It had taken quite a bit of time for them and for the members of the Green Team to calm down enough to stop celebrating. Amanda had finally given her one last enthusiastic congratulations before she, too, returned to the main building with Jas and Cons, leaving Lotte and Sucy to help Akko while Diana stood silently by, her face a myriad of emotions, chief amongst them happiness and pride. Why she was hanging back like she was, Akko couldn’t say. Perhaps giving her some time with her teammates? Hmm.

Akko’s attention returned to Hannah. “I need to talk to her,” she said, her voice quiet, and Sucy immediately scoffed.

“The hell you do. Let her stew in her defeat for a while,” the Filipina said, voice dry and cold as the Antarctic desert. “She’s earned that much, at the very least. I still say you let me poison her.”

“_Sucy_.”

“What, Lotte? You know she deserves it! She beat Akko in the bathroom like a fucking coward. And besides,” she sniffed, “it’s not like I’d _kill_ her.” A cruel grin baring sharp, pointed teeth. “At least not intentionally. Who’s to say if her constitution isn’t a bit weak?”

“Diana misses her,” Akko cut in, tone determined.

“_Tsk_. And there you go, bringing her into this. Have you forgotten what she did to you, to us? She almost got you kicked out.”

“And _you’ve_ poisoned me, Su. If you’re gonna force her to play that card, don’t forget the hand you hold.”

Sucy was silent for a long, bitter moment while Lotte kept quiet but not idle. Akko had no idea how the Finnish witch did it, but her mere presence seemed enough to soothe the most jagged aspects of Sucy’s personality. Akko didn’t doubt that she and Su would be well and truly fighting by now if it weren’t for her, even if all she was doing was spreading a balm of Sucy’s creation on the welts and bruises littering her frame. “Fine. You’ve got a point,” Su grudgingly admitted. “Goldilocks hasn’t been all that bad recently. But Ginger-bitch over there has a long way to go before she’s cool in my books!” she hissed bitterly, and Akko chuckled.

“You’re right. But we have to let her take that first step.” She took a deep, steadying breath before she stood, legs shaking slightly as she put her weight on them. Even after all this time…yeesh! “Thanks, you two. I would have quit a long time ago if it weren’t for you two believing in me. It means a great deal. If you two want to head back…”

“Not a chance!” Su snarled, and even Lotte looked unconvinced by the suggestion.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? She has to be angry right now, Akko.”

Akko huffed before wincing as she slowly crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze not leaving where England was still lying down. “She doesn’t have a choice, and even though she totally is a rotten bitch, she still has her pride and honor. She owes me my spoils for winning, and she knows it. Besides,” Akko added with a nod towards where Diana still stood waiting for her, “if she tries anything funny, then Diana will absolutely get her kicked out of the course. She knows that, too. I’ll be fine.”

Sucy opened her mouth, as though she were going to say something else, and going by her expression, it wasn’t going to be pretty. But then Lotte laid her hand on her arm, and when Su glanced over at her, the two of them seemed to have an entire conversation without words, and Su’s glare grew darker and darker even as Lotte’s eyes grew more and more determined. Just when Akko was certain that she couldn’t take the tension anymore, Su seemed to deflate. “Fine. _Fine_. But if she hurts you in any way at all, I’m going to melt her skin off!”

Akko grinned back at her. “I know. It’s because of that that I feel like I can do this. I know you’ve got my back if something goes wrong, just like a true Witch of the Regiment.” Instead of the fond amusement that Akko expected, something else flitted over Sucy’s red eye, something that Akko could have sworn looked like guilt. But that couldn’t be, Sucy didn’t feel guilty for anything! Must’ve been a figment of her imagination, especially with how Su merely grunted and collected up everything except Akko’s clothes with Lotte, and the two of them began to trudge back towards the dormitories, leaving Akko almost completely alone.

Her attention flicked briefly over Diana, who was watching her almost expressionlessly. Red eyes met blue, and they held for a moment before Diana nodded ever-so-slightly, and Akko squared her jaw. Alright. Time to do this!

xxxXXXxxx

Hannah heard Kagari approaching. How could she not? Except for Diana standing at the wayside and watching them, it was just the two of them, the noisy crowd that had watched her humiliating defeat now gone. Petulantly, Hannah squeezed her eyes shut as Kagari drew closer. She didn’t want to look at the girl who she should have kicked the shit out of. She didn’t want to look at the girl who had gotten _lucky_. She didn’t want to look at the girl who held her fate in her hands. Bitch knew that Hannah would have gleefully kicked her out, had she won like she should have. Those were high stakes…Kagari could demand practically anything from Hannah, and she’d have to oblige. The thought _sickened_ Hannah. And so, when the Japanese witch drew close enough, Hannah spoke. “_What_?” she bit out, putting as much venom and hatred into the word as she could. Let Kagari know just how Hannah felt about all of this!

But to her surprise, Kagari didn’t say anything at first, and instead there was the sound of a body hitting the ground with a relieved groan, and Hannah couldn’t help but crack her eyes open and tilt her head to see Kagari splayed out on the grass beside her, limbs spread wide, and Hannah scoffed. Did this girl feel no shame at her actions?

They both lay there for a while, the only sounds to disturb the silence their breathing and the soft whisper of wind playing over the grass. Diana remained at a distance, silent and still, carefully watching. Fine. Let her watch. Let Kagari lay there in silence. If she didn’t want to answer, _fine_.

The silence dragged on. With each passing moment, emotion roiled dangerously in Hannah’s gut. Shame at the defeat, anger at the misstep that had left her open, hatred of the girl lying next to her, and a sharp yearning for the one who watched. Was Kagari going to kick her out? Was Diana going to keep her promise to kick Hannah out of her household? Had Hannah ruined everything for herself? Why couldn’t they see what she saw? Why couldn’t they understand _why_ she hated Kagari? Diana once knew! Kagari was going to get good witches killed! She didn’t _belong_ in the program, she-!

“My spoils.”

Hannah jerked at the words softly spoken in an accented voice that bore an uncharacteristic solemnity to them, and she turned her head to see Kagari staring at her, those red eyes piercing and grim. “What?”

“My spoils for beating you. What I want. Are you ready?”

Hannah sneered, even as unease and fear gripped her, and she had to swallow suddenly, acid burning at the back of her throat. Here it came! “Do I have a choice?” she bit out, voice thick.

Kagari had the audacity to _smile_ at her, and had Diana not been watching, that would have started the second match for sure! “No, not really.” Then that smile faded. “What I want from you more than anything else…is to listen.”

Hannah blinked, confused. “What?”

“I want you to listen to me, to truly open your ears and _listen_ to my words. I want you to look past how you see me and discover who I actually _am_.” Red eyes as hard as diamond and more serious than Hannah had ever seen them captured her gaze and held it. “Can you do that? Can you grant me that boon for not losing to you?”

Hannah blinked again as the peculiar way that Kagari had phrased that struck her. She didn’t say that she had beat Hannah, she said that she hadn’t lost to her. Hannah’s jaw worked as she stared into those determined eyes, and finally she nodded. “Fine. Here. Now. You have until we leave to speak your piece.”

“Thank you. It…means a lot. It is not easy to listen to people.” Kagari shifted, straightening her head so she stared up into the morning sky. “Where to start…hmm.”

Hannah scoffed. “Really? You want me to listen and you don’t even know what to say?”

“I know what to say, I’m just not sure where to start.” Silence between them for a moment, and despite everything, Hannah felt curiosity nibbling at her. Of all the things that she had expected Kagari to demand from her, this wasn’t anywhere on the list. “Ah. Okay, we’ll start there. Why do you think I’m here? Why do you think I want to be an SMS Witch?”

Hannah huffed. “I said I’d listen, not play twenty questions.”

“Please.” A single word, short and to the point, but funny how it carried so much weight, so much emotion. Ugh. Fine.

“…I don’t know. That bint, Shiny Chariot? You want to be like her, right?”

“Hmm. Partly. She inspired me before magic was awakened, and I admire her bravery at the end, and I don’t doubt that she either fought to the very end to save people or she’s still out there fighting, even now. But she’s not why I’m _here_.”

“I don’t know, then. Why?”

Kagari was silent for a moment, save for a breath in that carried a hint of a hitch, and Hannah glanced over to see how her opponent’s lip trembled for just a moment. Wait…what? When Kagari began to speak again, her voice was tight. “Umm…your parents, where are they?”

Hannah quirked her brow, even as she started to get an idea for what was coming. “They are currently at Cavendish Manor, under the protection of Diana’s family and ancient wards.”

“_Good_. I’m so glad for you, Hannah.” The use of her first name in such a familiar way had Hannah bristling, but then…Kagari had meant it, she truly had. She was happy that Hannah’s parents were still alive. “My parents…they…I watched it happen. I could see the look on their faces when the Grimm…”

Silence again, no more words as Kagari bit her lip, tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes, and Hannah flinched. She knew plenty of orphans amongst the student body, but to see it happen…that must have been terrible. “So, revenge, then?” she guessed. She could understand that. Get back at the Grimm that had killed her parents.

But to her surprise, Kagari drew in a deep breath and shook her head. “_Iie_. Er, no. No matter how many Grimm I kill, it won’t bring them back. They’re gone. Nothing I can do can change that. And besides, the chance of me actually meeting the Grimm the killed my parents? Not happening.” She then grunted as she turned on her side, facing Hannah. “The reason I am _here_, trying with all my might to become an SMS Witch, is so that I might prevent another child from suffering as I have suffered.” She reached out a hand, staring at it thoughtfully before she squeezed it into a fist. “If I can gain that strength here, if I can save a family from being torn apart from one another by those monsters, then I can have the peace I so desperately seek.”

“What if you aren’t good enough?!” Hannah blurted out before she could stop herself, and she flinched as Akko’s eyes widened in shock. “I mean…can you blame me for asking that? You used to be the worst recruit in school…you were _terrible_ at anything magical! Even now, you’re barely even good, and you’ll probably never be _great_, not like Diana is.”

A soft, whimsical smile. “Diana really is great, isn’t she? Without her…well, I think you wouldn’t have had the chance to kick me out, I would have dropped out on my own. It’s been…it’s not been easy. Everyone except a very small number of people _hate_ me. I’m not blind or stupid. I’ve heard the whispers, I’ve seen the looks, I’ve endured the shoves, the hexes, the curses, the slurs. I’ve persisted, and it’s thanks to her.” She sighed. “Hann, err, _England_. I didn’t want to say this before the fight because I didn’t want to distract you from the match but…you do know that sending me back home might as well have been a death sentence, right?”

Hannah frowned in confusion. “What?”

“Mmm. In fact, in some ways, it would almost be more merciful for you to just put a bullet in my head than to send me back to Japan. There’s no family waiting for me there, England. No other witches to form a trinity or coven with. No real understanding of magic or how to use it. All the High Command knows is that magic can be used to fight the Grimm, and so I’d be thrown into the fight before I’m ready, before I’ve had the chance to truly develop my skills. And for my people, I would bite my tongue and obey, and hopefully I could save even a few people before I…before the Grimm…” she drew off, looking away with a bleak expression. “Sending me home as I am now would have been a death sentence. I am glad I’ll be staying.”

What could anyone say in response to that? Hannah hadn’t thought about it that way. Sure, witches could choose to ‘graduate’ after any given year, and they’d generally go and support frontline units, but almost everyone came from nations that had other witches in the fight, and they knew how to use witches to some extent or another. Yes, casualty rates were extremely high, but there was still a chance. But take a single witch, by herself, and place her under the command of someone who didn’t know how to properly employ combat witches? The realization of what she had almost done settled like a ball of ice in her gut. She may hate Akko and want her gone, but she didn’t want her _dead_.

Wait…did she just think of her as Akko?

Before she could give that too much thought, the girl next to her sat up, brushing off her shorts. “Thank you for listening to me, England. It’s been a long and at times almost impossible journey, but every step I take forward has made me stronger, so thank you for helping me on my path. Oh! One last thing. Can you _please_ be friends with Diana again? She misses you.”

A surge of anger at that, one that Hannah couldn’t deny. She might empathize with Akko for her reasons to want to be here, but this was one thing she couldn’t forgive the annoying girl for. “How can I, when you’ve stolen her and all her time from us?” she snapped bitterly, and Akko just stared at her with wide, shocked eyes for a moment before she burst out laughing. “_What_?” Hannah bit out with the same amount of acid as before.

“_England no baka_. You idiot, that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!” Seeing how red Hannah’s face must be getting for the offhand insults, Akko raised her hands disarmingly. “No, seriously! England…Diana isn’t like a non-renewable resource! All you’ve ever had to do was stand up and come over and join us!”

Hannah stared at Akko, aghast and flabbergasted. What?! No! It wasn’t that simple! She couldn’t just…just…that didn’t make any bloody sense! Diana was _her_ friend, and…and…

“Fuck.”

Akko laughed again as she stood. “So, I’d avoid talking with Sucy, she’s really angry at you. I think I’ve seen Amanda checking out your ass when she thought I wasn’t paying attention, so she might be fairly easy to win over,” she said nonchalantly even as Hannah blushed slightly at the thought while Akko continued. “Jas and Lotte like everyone, so they shouldn’t be a problem, and Cons? Well, Cons is Cons. Don’t insult her inventions or robots and you’ll be fine. And England…_Hannah_. I don’t ask that you be my friend. This isn’t some stupid anime or manga, I know that’s not how life works. You may never be my friend, and that’s okay.” She held out her hand. “But maybe we can at least be acquaintances? For Diana’s sake?”

Hannah stared at the offered hand before looking up to the face behind it, a face that was shining with naked hope. Akko was right. Hannah was still pissed at her and sure as bloody hell didn’t think of her as a friend…but she was right about Diana being worth it. Sighing, Hannah briskly clasped the offered hand, and they shook once on it. Then Akko leaned back, obviously trying to pull her to her feet, and Hannah flexed her arm as she gathered her feet under her…only for Akko to cry out in alarm as Hannah pulled her straight down into her. A confused jumble of limbs, a concerned and almost angry shout from Diana as she ran up to them. And then? Laughter. Relieved laughter bubbling from parted lips as Akko rolled off of Hannah, her mirth flowing into the sky.

“By the Nine!” she chortled, wiping a tear away from her eye. “You knocked the strength right out of me earlier!”

It wasn’t funny. It really wasn’t. Or at least, it shouldn’t have been. But something about the way that Akko lay there, limbs splayed out once more as she continued to laugh struck Hannah. A snort. A giggle. And then a full on laugh as Hannah dropped onto her back as well, staring up into the blue sky studded with white clouds, and she felt a darkness ease its grasp on her heart and dissipate. It was then that she knew that while Akko certainly wasn’t her friend…it was definitely a good thing that she wasn’t her enemy anymore, either.

Perhaps…perhaps it _was_ a good thing that she had lost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Banged this bad boy out in 130 minutes. Whoo! When I finally get off my lazy butt, I can _write_! Sorry this took a while, I've been hella busy. Let me know what you think!


	9. To Rate Corporal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Akko is going to stay at Luna Nova, she faces the next step of her education: the Corporal Aptitude Test. Ironically enough, Diana is proving to be more of a hindrance than a help with her attempts to prep Akko for the test, and Amanda enlists Hannah and Barbara to help Akko out. Then it's the Board itself. Will Akko be able to impress the members of the Board, or will she stay a Recruit Lance Corporal?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an officer, I have not been the member of a promotion board, so this might not be the most accurate of depictions of a board. I apologize for that. However, I have been studying the differences between the US Army and the British Army (_The Queen's Regulations for the Army_ is a 354 page pdf file, in case you were wondering...) so the purely technical things (Section composition, the name of the facing movements, etc) are accurate. Please let me know what you think!

To Rate Corporal

Life returned to a semblance of normalcy after the boxing match, with perhaps the most exciting thing being Hannah and Barbara approaching the tables in the canteen that the rest of them had occupied the morning of Monday the 7th, two days after the match. Their faces were stony, their movements stiff, and it was clear by their expressions that they weren’t sure if they should really be doing this. Sucy’s face tightened into a furious glower, but she didn’t say anything after Lotte rested her hand on Sucy’s shoulder. After a moment, Akko gestured to some of the empty chairs that were thankfully well away from Sucy. Some of the tension to their shoulders dissipated, and they started to sit down without a word.

“Wait,” Amanda had said, and Hannah and Barbara had paused, their trays halfway lowered to the table as they warily looked at the other Recruit Corporal. “Y’all can sit at our table, but only because it’s Akko inviting you. She’s a good judge of character, if not a bit too forgiving. That said…” Green eyes glinted sharply, and Amanda then leveled a glare that would have even given Finnelan pause as the fork in her hand bent sharply in her grasp, her knuckles turning white and tendons standing in sharp relief against her tanned skin. “If you _ever_ do something like that again to Akko I’ll rip out your spines and beat you to death with them. Clear?”

Barbara’s face had paled and Hannah glanced briefly at Akko before she spoke. “Recruit Kagari and I resolved our issues on the field. We’ve no quarrel between each other any longer.”

Amanda then opened her hand, and the bent, ruined fork fell onto the table with a clatter, and she gave an almost saccharine smile at them. “Then there’s no problem. Welcome. Sit. _Eat_.”

Hannah and Barbara had only paused for a moment before setting their trays down. The conversation that morning was stilted, and there had been precious little effort to involve the two newcomers, but at least they were sitting at their table. It was a start, and would hopefully be enough.

But then Akko found herself entirely preoccupied with the upcoming Corporal Aptitude Test, and if she had thought that Diana was overbearing about it before, now she was nearly insufferable. Scarcely a moment went by throughout the day where she wasn’t grilling Akko on obscure bits of military knowledge ranging from small arms to platoon level tactics to anything that she could think of that could help her pass the test. Akko truly appreciated what Diana was trying to do.

She also very much wanted to strangle her…

That Thursday found her with her head on the table at dinner, and she could feel Diana’s worried and slightly disappointed eyes resting on her while they waited for everyone else to get their food and sit down. “Akko, you weren’t able to answer my last question,” she said, concern clear in her voice, but dammit, Akko didn’t particularly _care_ at the moment. She needed a break! And so she only answered in what she hoped was a piteous moan. If she was lucky, Diana would cut her a break.

“Whoa, what’s wrong with Akko?” she heard Amanda say, and she lifted her head slightly to see the recruits of the Green Team approaching the table, trays loaded with food.

Diana sighed, poking at her dinner with her fork. “I’m quizzing Akko for the upcoming Corporal Aptitude Test, and I’m worried about her performance,” she said, and Akko couldn’t help but glower at her.

“I’m doing fine,” she said, voice tight.

“Then why haven’t you answered my question?” Diana shot back tartly before she took a drink from her mug.

“‘Cuz I don’ wanna,” Akko answered petulantly.

“What was the question?” Amanda asked as she and Jas and Cons sat down, the other two tucking in while Amanda looked at Diana and Akko, brow quirked.

“Right, so, during the Battle of Isandlwana, the British forces were defeated by the Zulu warriors. What actions could the British Army have taken in order to hold the defense and not be defeated?”

Amanda stared at Diana for a long moment, face almost aghast. “What the fuck kinda question is _that_?” she spluttered, and Diana frowned.

“What do you mean? That was one of the essay questions that I had to answer during my Lieutenant’s Exam.”

Amanda’s eyebrows shot up, and she gave Diana an almost pitying look. “Wow. It must be something special to be so smart and yet so freaking dumb.”

“Who’s dumb?” Hannah and Barbara had arrived, and they sat so they were on either side of Diana. Akko could see Lotte and Sucy walking towards their table as well.

“Her royal highness here,” Amanda said as she gestured at Diana, smirking at how Hannah and Barbara’s eyes tightened almost identically with irritation. “She’s been asking Akko shit that was on the Ell-tee’s exam, not Corporal.”

To Akko’s surprise, Barbara sighed and Hannah snorted. “Okay, as much as I hate to admit it, that is kinda dumb, Diana,” she said as she buttered her dinner roll. “The expectations of a Corporal are vastly different than that of a Lieutenant.”

Diana was starting to look slightly unsure of herself at that. “I just want to make her as prepared as possible…” she hedged. “And we haven’t even started on the trigonometry yet.”

Akko paled, staring at Diana in open horror. “Trigonometry?” she squeaked. Math was _not_ her strong point!

“Calm down, Akko. Trust me, She’s filling your head with shit that you doesn’t need,” Amanda laughed. “Doing her a disservice, Didi.”

Diana frowned. “I only just barely tolerate your familiar way of speaking, as reprehensible as it is, but don’t bloody well call me Didi, is that understood?”

“Yeah, sure, fine,” Amanda said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Hey, Akko, what are the Values of the British Army?”

Akko perked up, sitting up straight as Lotte and Sucy finally joined them. “Oh, that’s easy! Courage, Discipline, Respect for Others, Integrity, Loyalty, and Selfless Commitment.”

“Uh-huh. And what’s the composition of a Section?”

“Two fire-teams consisting of four individuals each, one led by a Corporal, and the other by a Lance Corporal, with each having an additional two riflemen and a gunner who is equipped with the L110 light machine gun.” She paused, tilting her head. “But Amanda, this is easy stuff that everyone should know.”

Amanda grinned. “Exactly. And that’s why you’ll do fine on your exam. How about you, Wonder Twins, you have any questions for Akko here? You two are the only other Recruit Corporals in this band of misfits right now.”

“Wonder Twins?” Barbara muttered under her breath as Hannah rolled her eyes at Amanda.

“Yes, I do, actually. Kagari, what’s the difference between the British Army Section organization and the SMS organization?”

“Well, we base ourselves off of the trifecta, so a Section is three teams of three, right?”

“Don’t ask, _tell_,” Barbara admonished as she put salt and pepper on her mashed potatoes. “You need to be confident in your answers. Your attitude plays just as much a part as a correct answer.”

“Right, thank you,” Akko said softly, somewhat surprised at the advice that had been delivered matter-of-factly and without a mocking tone. “We have three fireteams of three witches in one Section, led by a Corporal with two Lance Corporals leading the other teams. Two of the Fireteams has a gunner armed with the L110, and the third, usually the one led by the Corporal, has a grenadier with the L17A1 40mm grenade launcher instead of a gunner.” She paused. “Recruit Corporal Parker.”

“Tell you what, how about Parker and England joins up with me for a study group?” Amanda offered. “Cons is going to be going to the same test. Next Friday, right Akko? The 18th?”

“Yeah.”

“Perfect. Let us Corporals impart Corporal knowledge on our poor little Lances here, and we’ll get them all nice and ready for the CAT.”

Diana didn't look entirely happy about that. "But...I was just trying to help her," she said, and the table went silent at the emotion in her voice. Akko suddenly wanted to reach across the table and rest her hand on top of Diana's, but that wouldn't be proper, would it?

Amanda's eyes had widened in surprise at Diana's words, and she glanced at Hannah, Barbara, and Akko before she looked back at Diana. "Diana, do you trust that I have Akko's best interest in mind?" she asked, and after a terse moment, Diana nodded. "Do you trust Hannah and Barbara to do the right thing, especially since it's something that you want?" Another nod. "All it is is delegation, Diana. We know more about what she's going to need in order to blow this out of the water. We'll take care of her, okay?"

Diana drew in a breath and gave a tremulous smile. "Right, of course." She looked to Hannah and Barbara. "I expect only the very best from you two, is that understood?" she said, voice steely, and they nodded.

Amanda grinned. "Excellent!" She leaned over the table slightly, looking down at Sucy and Lotte, who had been eating silently up to this point. “How about you ladies? Either of you looking to join us NCOs?”

To Akko’s surprise, both of them shook their heads. Lotte was the first to speak. “I know I’m not leadership material yet, if at all. I’ll be staying a Lance Corporal at least for the rest of this term.”

“I’m too busy helping Lukić to worry about becoming a Corporal right now,” Sucy added. “Maybe after we get back from winter break and before this academic year ends, but I won’t be joining you.”

“Ah, shame,” Amanda said with a shrug that Akko barely even noticed with how she was looking at her two closest friends. They weren’t taking the test with her? The thought didn’t sit well with her. She had always assumed that they’d face the same challenges together, at the same time, and support each other through until the end, but…

…if she passed, she’d be going on beyond them, earning a Recruit Non-Commissioned Officer rank, which meant that she’d have to start changing how she acted. She’d have more responsibilities and would have to be an example of what right looked like to lower ranking recruits, especially to the new recruits that would be coming in in March. Luna Nova was a bit odd in their curriculum, and Akko was glad she got to miss out on the first term, really. After all, that was the equivalent of basic training, taking witches and turning them into basic soldiers. Recruit Privates, the lot of them, though there was the chance to take tests for Lance Corporal and then Corporal prior to graduating the six month term. It did speak highly of both Parker and England that they earned Recruit Corporal prior to starting their second term, which lasted a full year and was _much_ more in depth in instruction.

“Hey, Amanda,” she asked as she pushed her food around on her plate. “What did you do before you came to Luna Nova?”

“Hmm? Oh, I was in the Texas militia.” A fleeting darkness crossed her face before she grinned. “Thank God for that…without that prior knowledge, I don’t think I’d have aced the LCAT and passed the CAT at the end of First Term!”

That’s right, Sucy and she were the only two currently at the table who hadn’t attended the First Term. They were kinda the odd ducks out, weren’t they? She glanced again at her former roommates, worry twinging her heart. “Hey…if I pass this, you guys’ll still be my friends, right? Even though I’ll be a recruit NCO?”

Lotte and Sucy glanced at each other briefly before meeting her gaze. “Of course. Recruit rank really only holds weight when you’re dealing with the newbies, anyway,” Sucy said, her voice dry. “You’ll have your hands full as a Section Leader dealing with a bunch’a brand new recruits doing stupid shit, but we’ll still be your friends.”

“You two will be my Fireteam Leaders, right?” she asked, voice nakedly hopeful.

“Absolutely!” Lotte said, voice firm. “I can’t imagine serving under any Section Leader other than you, Akko.”

She grinned, feeling some of the nervous tension leaving her shoulders at the look of determination in their faces. They wouldn’t be leaving her. She’d still be working with them. They’d still be friends. That was enough for Akko. Suddenly voraciously hungry, she dug in to her dinner, shoveling mashed potatoes in her mouth as conversations picked up and down the table. Life was going to be okay.

Now, what was really surprising was not only how professional Hannah was towards Akko, but how well she worked with Amanda. Barbara was also good, but Hannah and Amanda shone. Their instruction was succinct and to the point, and they gave her plenty of tips and things to watch out for during the test. And through it all, Hannah was nothing but polite towards her, save for a few times where it was obvious she was getting annoyed, generally at the end of a study session. Given how she had acted towards Akko before, it was a vast improvement. Amanda, too, was surprisingly focused on the task, almost a complete 180 from her usual free-spirited behavior. The stark difference in how they were when they were acting as corporals did more to educate Akko on what it meant to actually be an NCO than the stuff that they were teaching her. If she was to be a good corporal, she would have to be like them: professional, stern, focused, and able to develop others.

It was a weighty thing. If she passed the CAT, she would be Corporal Kagari upon leaving Luna Nova, and all that that entailed. She would possibly be leading an entire section, and all those soldiers would be depending on her to do the right thing, to be able to lead them in battle, to bring as many of them back home as possible. Was she ready? Could she actually do it?

The thought plagued her through the weekend (that she spent studying with Diana…one benefit to both of them losing their weekend passes was that Diana could help her in some of the classes that she was starting to slip in) and through the next week until she found herself lying in bed one night, staring at the ceiling, not tired even with the calming spell that Diana had cast on her. Shifting so that she was lying on her side, she sighed softly. “Diana?” she whispered softly enough that if Diana was already asleep, it wouldn’t bother her, but if she was awake…

“Yes, Akko?” came the quiet reply in the darkness.

“Do you…think I’m ready? Like, _really_ ready?”

Silence answered her, save for the soft sound of Diana’s breathing, the breaths slow and steady. But it wasn’t tense or awkward, it was a comfortable, thoughtful silence. If it had been shortly after they had first become roommates, then Akko would have been nervous, but now? Now Akko could _tell_ all the way down to her soul that Diana was given her question the thoughtful consideration that it deserved. Huh. When had she gotten so familiar with Diana?

“Yes.” Diana’s reply was slow, thoughtful.

Akko huffed a silent laugh even as some of the tension that held her body dissipated slightly. “Yes?”

“Yes,” Diana repeated, and Akko could hear the small smile in her voice.

That was enough for her. Diana believed she was ready, and if Diana believed she was ready, she _was_. “Thanks, Diana,” she said as she closed her eyes and snuggled deeper into her pillow, the sleepiness that had previously eluded her came rushing in, hitting her full force. The last thing she heard was Diana’s soft, warm voice:

“You’re welcome, Akko. Goodnight.”

Akko would sleep well that night.

Then the rest of the week seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, it was 13:00 on Friday, and she was in her full dress uniform that Diana had helped get into perfect order. They had already taken the physical fitness test early that morning, as well as the written exam that had essays and multiple choice questions that they took before lunch, but now it was time for the Promotion Board itself. She was surrounded by other Recruit Lance Corporals, all of them with varying levels of panic on their faces as they waited to be summoned into the meeting room that had been commandeered by the Board. For once in her life, Akko hadn’t been hungry, and she had barely been able to eat anything at lunch. Even now, her stomach roiled uncomfortably and her palms were sweaty. Amanda, Hannah, and Barbara had been confident in how she and Cons did in the mock board that they had done the night before, but what if they had missed something, what if she was gonna bomb this?

…what if she was going to disappoint Diana?

The doors opened, and a very stern looking sergeant in dress uniform stepped out, fairly glaring at the lot of them before referencing the clipboard that he held. “_Re_-cruit Lance Cor’pral von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberg-_er_!” he barked, the words and name flowing in a rush, and Akko flinched. So Cons was first up.

“Good luck,” she whispered under her breath as Constanze marched to the door, Stanbot by her side as he always was. The sergeant held the door open for her, and Cons disappeared within, the door slamming shut behind her, the sharp sound cracking over the rest of them.

Conversation resumed, slow and timid, and Akko glanced at the clock on the wall. 13:05. How long was it going to take? Nervously chewing on her lip, she paced back and forth, the butterflies in the stomach exploding into a veritable frenzy. “You got this, Akko, you got this. Just remember what the others said,” she hissed to herself as her heart started pounding in her chest.

Twenty-three minutes later, the doors opened again, and Cons marched out, her face as stern as ever, and she left the hall without so much as a glance to the others, not even to Akko, and she couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. With Cons, you could never tell.

“_Re_-cruit Lance Cor’pral Brim-_weld_!” the sergeant barked, and the next victim entered the room. And so it went. Some of the recruits would only go in for a few minutes before they came out again, faces white as sheets or eyes brimming with tears, and Akko felt the worst for them…obvious failures, and they’d have to wait for the next board to try again, and their previous failure would be well noted at that board. One by one, her fellow recruits would be summoned, and time both seem to move at a glacial pace as well as fly by before the sergeant appeared once more, holding the door open for Recruit Kagal, who exited with a pale face and quivering lip. But she had been in there for more than twenty minutes, maybe she’d be okay…

“_Re_-cruit Lance Cor’pral Kaga-_ri_!” the sergeant barked, and Akko swallowed heavily before she lifted her head, squared her shoulders, and turned on the military bearing, marching sharply to the door, arms swinging wide. The sergeant held the door open, and Akko marched straight in before conducting a tight left turn, continuing on towards the line of officers and sergeants waiting at the table, all while keeping cadence in her head: _left-right-left-right-left-right_!

Six paces from the table she came to a halt, stomping to the position of attention, hand swinging up in a salute. “Recruit Lance Corporal Atsuko Kagari reporting to the Promotion Board for evaluation to the rank of Recruit Corporal, _sir_!”

The Board members were talking amongst themselves, and largely ignored her. The officer at the center of the table, a major, glanced at her briefly before lifting his hand in a lazy half-salute, and Akko almost, _almost_ dropped her salute before she remembered the word of warning from Barbara: she was not to drop her arm until she received a proper salute in return. After a moment, the Major glanced at her again before he saluted her back, quick and precise, and Akko dropped her hand after his did. One of the Sergeants made a note on his clipboard, and Akko fought the urge to swallow nervously.

“Recuit Kagari, explain to the board the importance of courage,” the Staff Sergeant sitting to the Major’s right asked.

Akko blinked, almost _seeing_ the text from the _Queen’s Regulations for the Army_ appear in front of her eyes. “Staff Sergeant, the importance of courage is it creates the strength upon which fighting spirit and success on operations depend. It is a quality needed by every soldier, but it is especially important for those placed in positions of authority, because others will depend on their lead and respond to it.”

One of the sergeants to the left: “Your Section is on a recce and comes under fire from a cluster of buildings one hundred meters to your right, at the two o’clock position. The rest of your Platoon is five hundred meters to the six o’clock position. You do not know the enemy composition, but Intel reports that they have been operating in two to three man teams. What do you do?”

Another trick question, one that Amanda had actually gotten dinged on. The question did not give all the information. “Sergeant, what are the rules of engagement, and what was I briefed by the Platoon Commander?”

“Rules of engagement are to meet lethal force with lethal force, and your last order from the Platoon Commander was to disengage if attacked by an equal sized force but to aggressively engage a smaller element.”

“Yes, sergeant, thank you, sergeant. I will have Delta fireteam lay down suppressive fire on the enemy position to fix them while I flank the enemy with Charlie fireteam, choosing the route with the most cover, all while radioing back to the Platoon Commander to let him or her know that we have come in contact with the enemy, sergeant.”

More note taking, all of their faces unreadable, and Akko could feel sweat running down the small of her back. She wished that they would tell her to stand at ease…it was stressful to stay at the position of attention. But then, maybe that was the point. See how she reacted while under stress, even if that stress was merely standing at attention. She said nothing in protest.

So the questions continued to come, and she answered with as much confidence as she could. There were only a few instances where she hesitated, and they were for more obscure questions that she had to take care that she gave the right answer, and even a few of those she wasn’t sure if what she remembered was from the JSDF or the British Army. Most frustratingly, the Board never gave an indication either way if _any_ of her answers were right or wrong. That was probably the worst part of it, not knowing if she was right or wrong! Really, the only indicator that she wasn’t doing terribly was that they hadn’t kicked her out yet.

“Right, Recruit Lance Corporal,” the Major finally said as he glanced down at the notes he had taken, “why do you want to be a Recruit Corporal?”

Akko blinked, thrown off by the question. Everything up to this point had been based on fact, on doctrine, on manuals. This was the first opinion question. “I want to be a Recruit Corporal because…” she trailed off, wishing she could fidget, but she couldn’t, not while standing at attention.

“Because?” the staff sergeant asked leadingly, voice almost cutting, and Akko was suddenly hyper aware of how everyone on the Board was staring at her, their gazes sharp and laser focused.

“Because…because I want to do my part to inspire everyone to do their best, sir. If I can influence a section to try that much harder, to believe in each other and support their comrades to their left and right, then maybe, just _maybe_ they’ll have a greater chance of coming home. I’ve…read some reports of what’s going on in the front lines, sir, and…it’s not good. And what I experienced while I was in the JSDF…” She paused, dark memories coming to the surface. “You hear some soldiers saying that we need heroes. I don’t think we do. What we need are those who can build each other up. One person alone won’t win this, no matter how heroic. If we are to win, it will be because of a great many people coming together because they _believe_. They believe in each other, they believe in doing their hardest, they believe in _hope_. And if I can instill that belief in whatever subordinates I have, no matter what the level, and they spread that on to their fellow soldiers, then I will have done more to win this war than merely killing Grimm,” she said, voice strong and determined and passionate, her heart pounding in her chest. Then she noticed how they were staring at her and winced with a slight flush. “Sir,” she added, kicking herself for having it seem like an afterthought. Hopefully that wouldn’t get her in trouble.

After a moment, the Major leaned back in his chair, dark eyes gazing thoughtfully at Akko. “Thank you, Recruit Lance Corporal. You are dismissed.”

Akko took a step back, executed a left turn, and marched briskly out of the room. “Sergeant, wait a moment before sending the next one in,” the Staff Sergeant said. The moment Recruit Lance Corporal Kagari was out of the room, the Board glanced at one another. “I was expecting her to do terribly, given some of the evaluations by the cadre here at Luna Nova.”

One of the sergeants to the left of the table laughed. "That seems to only be the head officers of the course, particularly Colonel Finnelan. Her first line leaders and evaluators speak highly of her, particularly in the areas of motivating the students around her and using out of the box approaches to solving problems. Did you read the incident report involving their fish instructor...ehm, Professor Pisces, I believe?"

The Major hummed thoughtfully, tapping his pen against his notebook. “She’s got amazing command of doctrine, she knows what questions to ask. Good military bearing. Her physical training scores are very good, and she apparently just took on one of the better boxers in her year group and won. She’s got spirit. Spirit that we’ll be needing on the field.” He stared at the notes. “I imagine we’ll see some great things from Recruit Kagari in the future.” He brought his pen to the final recommendation section: _It is the opinion of the Board that Recruit Lance Corporal possesses unlimited potential in leadership positions. Promote to Recruit Corporal immediately, and groom for Recruit Sergeant throughout her final term at Luna Nova Military Academy…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did some ninja edits. During the day of the CAT, Akko took a PT test as well as a written and multiple choice in the morning, and the Board notes that Akko has good ratings from her immediate supervisors (Corporals and Sergeants) but has wildly cheesed off the higher ranks of Luna Nova (read: Finnelan).


	10. Promotions and Invitations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning of the day that marks the beginning of Winter Break at Luna Nova starts with the promotion ceremony recognizing all those that made the list to Recruit Corporal, and Akko can barely contain her excitement! She had worked so hard for this, and had done so well with the help of her friends! Afterwards, Captain Callistis has a short discussion with Colonel Finnelan, and Diana extends a last minute invitation to Akko.

Promotions and Invitations

“Akko, would you _please_ sit still?” Diana’s voice was more bemused than exasperated as she glanced over to where Akko was practically vibrating in her seat, all abuzz with nervous energy. They were all in the auditorium, and there was an excited hum all around them as the other recruits and cadets chatted.

Akko shot her a quick grin that was both bashful and yet thrumming with energy. “I’m sorry, I’m just…oh, gosh, do you think I made it?” she asked, slightly breathless as she looked back to the stage that dominated the front of the expansive room.

“I don’t doubt that you did, Akko,” Diana answered with a warm smile. “Hannah and Barbara both said that they have full confidence in your chances, and I’m sure that Amanda has said much the same to you.”

“Hannah and Barbara said that? Really?” The words were slightly incredulous, and Hannah leaned forward from where she was sitting on the other side of Diana.

“Well, my exact words were that you were doing remarkably well for the dolt that you are, but yes, I suppose the sentiment was there,” she smirked, but there was no real heat to the words. More teasing than mocking, and Akko grinned back at Hannah.

“You guys were good teachers, thanks again!”

The enthusiastic praise seemed to catch Hannah by surprise, and the smirk fell away from her lips as a slight blush touched her cheeks. After taking a moment to recover, she offered her own almost timid smile in return. “Think nothing of it…Diana wanted us to teach you, so we did.”

“Room, _a-_tten-_SHUN_!” came the cracking cry as the doors behind the stage opened and, and all conversation ceased, the room filled with the sound of bodies moving as they all stood at attention, the cadre filing in through the open door and taking their places in front of the chairs already set on the stage, and Commandant Holbrooke stepped up to the podium.

“Be seated,” she said, and once again the room was filled with the rustling of uniforms and squeaking of seats as they all sat down. Once it was silent again, Holbrooke cleared her throat as she adjusted her notes. “Thank you all for gathering on this fine Monday morning,” she started, and Akko huffed silently next to Diana.

“Of course we’re here, ma’am, it’s an assembly _you_ ordered…” she muttered, and Amanda snickered to her right.

“Akko, _shh_!”

“I know that you are all very excited to start your Winter Holiday Leave after this assembly, but I would very much like to recognize the hard work put forth by those amongst your ranks. As I’m sure you’re all aware, this last Friday we had the aptitude test and promotion board for our Recruit Lance Corporals. I am, as always, very impressed by the effort displayed by many of you, especially in light of the fact that there are only twenty slots open for this promotion bracket. Those of you selected were competing directly amongst one another, and gave it your all. That said, there are those who were not quite yet ready for the additional responsibilities that being a Recruit Corporal would entail. While there are twenty slots, that does not means that twenty individuals will have been selected for promotion. It is far better to ensure that you are ready before putting you into the position.”

There was a dull murmur amongst the student body at that, and Holbrooke paused, eyes scanning all of them, and Diana heard Akko swallow heavily next to her. Without thinking, she reached out and gently grasped Akko’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze even as Commandant Holbrooke continued.

“There is no shame in not making the roster…rather, think of it as a chance to continue to grow and develop into fine young leaders so that when you do reach that position, you will excel at it. For those of you who did make it, congratulations! You have shown the mettle and leadership potential that makes Luna Nova recruits stand out amongst all other academies. You have shown the Officers and NCOs of the British Army that you possess the mettle to lead as a Corporal once you graduate and report to your first units! That is something to be proud of. Cherish the fact just as I cherish all of you and your hard work. If you receive a promotion today, upon leaving Luna Nova you will be a Brevet Corporal and will be leading soldiers into battle or in support of the combat arms. Take pride in that! You are the leaders of tomorrow! Nothing can change that.” She looked to her right, where Finnelan was sitting. “Colonel?”

Finnelan nodded, and stood, producing a sheaf of papers. “Would the following recruits report before the stage: Recruit von Braunschbank-Albrechtsberger,” she started and the Red and Green teams all gave very enthusiastic thumbs up as Cons slipped out of her seat and made her way to the floor in front of the stage…Akko and Amanda would definitely have cheered if they had been allowed to, and it was open to debate just which of them would be louder! “Recruit Brimweld…Recruit Cooper…Recruit Darling…” Finnelan continued on in a droning voice, and Diana was aware of how Akko was becoming more and more tense beside her, eyes fixated on the Colonel on the stage as she whispered soundlessly under her breath, lips moving in what Diana could only assume was a prayer. “…Recruit Kagal…Recruit Landry…Recruit Leary…” Finnelan continued to drone on, and Akko seemed to deflate in a rush of exhaled air, face turning straight to shock.

“_What_?” Amanda fairly snarled as she sat up straight in her chair, face a mask of fury. “That’s such fucking bullshit!” she seethed.

Diana was distantly aware of Hannah leaning forward behind her, though she was far more focused on the lost, almost defeated look on Akko’s face. For a moment, she was afraid that Hannah was going to berate Amanda for her outburst and that she’d have a fight to break up on top of trying to figure out what to say to comfort Akko, but-

“What an absolute load of bollocks!” Hannah snapped. “Kagal knows her stuff but she wouldn’t know shite about initiative if it leapt up and bit her on her arse! If she made it, then Akko certainly should have!”

“But…” Akko croaked in a small, broken voice, “I…I tried so hard!”

Diana grit her teeth as she shot a livid glare at Colonel Finnelan. Why, she had half a mind to demand to see the Board results herself, but that wasn’t her place, was it? She was still only a Cadet, and Finnelan was a Colonel. “I know you did, Akko,” she murmured comfortingly even as she struggled to rein in her anger. Jasminka had an arm wrapped around Amanda’s shoulder, practically holding her down, the American’s face beet red and the veins in her neck grossly distended as she visibly struggled to maintain some semblance of calm. Beyond the two of them, Sucy was shooting Finnelan a death glare, fingers idly tapping on her wand before Lotte soothingly laid a hand over Sucy’s, despite the anger that showed on the Finnish girl’s face. Behind Diana, she could hear Barbara and Hannah holding a hissed conversation, just quiet enough to not draw the attention of those around them, though they were both very obviously upset. If Diana had to wager, it wasn’t necessarily born out of any great concern for Akko herself, but rather, a sense of pride for the two of them. They had worked hard in preparing Akko and really had had all the confidence in the world that she would pass. For that not to be the case was almost an insult to them as tutors.

And Akko…oh, poor Akko! Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, and she shrank down into her seat as the last of the promoted recruits joined the others already called, and Diana glanced at the seventeen of them even as Finnelan continued: “Attention to orders!”

Once more, everyone surged to their feet, standing at the position of attention as members of the cadre moved forward to present the new ranks to the promotees: the double chevron pointing down, with the letter ‘R’ nestled in the V notch, denoting their Recruit status. Akko should be up there, getting one of her own! A small sniffle to her right had her clenching her fists in rage, nails biting into her palms even as Finnelan’s voice continued to grate on her ears: “Her Majesty the Queen recognizes the fidelity, patriotism, and potential of the recruits thus named, and hereby promote them to the rank of Recruit Corporal, effective date of rank being today, the twenty-first day of December, 2020.”

Diana chanced a glance out of the corner of her eye, and winced at the tear that rolled down Akko’s cheek, and bless Akko’s professionalism that she did nothing to wipe away the tear! No, she resolutely stood at attention, refusing to break her military bearing even as another tear joined the first.

Unable to bear the sight of it, Diana turned her attention back to the front, only to see Finnelan staring their way, the smallest of smirks touching her lips, and it was in that moment that Diana’s resentment and distaste towards the officer before her turned to hatred. How _dare_ she take enjoyment out of Akko’s suffering?! Damn it all, if there was only something that Diana could _do_! But there _wasn’t_, she was just a Cadet. She wasn’t even certain going to Holbrooke would do anything. At best, Holbrooke might take Finnelan aside and have a stern word with her, but it wouldn’t actually do anything! She loathed feeling so powerless.

Then the last of the promoted recruits got their rank and were turned about before the commands were belted out: “Stand at _ease_…stand _easy_!” As was proper, the audience began to applaud the recruits up front, but not Diana. No, she hesitated just a moment, knowing that what she was just about to do was improper, but after that moment’s consideration, she realized that she didn’t give a damn. Her arm came up, haltingly at first before she brushed the last vestiges of doubt from her mind. Then she moved with smooth purpose, wrapping her arm around Akko’s shoulders, drawing her close even as Akko finally wiped the tears from her face and began to applaud those that had received that which she hadn’t.

Leaning in close to Akko’s ear, Diana began to speak, words low and comforting. “It’s rubbish that you didn’t get promoted, Akko, but don’t worry, we’ll get you ready for the next Board, and you’ll do so well that they’ll have no choice but to promote you, you’ll see!”

Akko turned her head towards Diana, their faces so close that their noses nearly bumped against one another, and the sudden eruption of butterflies in Diana’s stomach had her realizing that this was the closest their faces had ever been. Why, if she merely tilted her head and leaned forward, she could-

-wait, where had _that_ thought come from?! Swallowing past a suddenly dry mouth, she forced her gaze away from slightly chapped lips up to crimson eyes that were shining with the tears that hadn’t fallen, but also gratitude. Gratitude that had the butterflies kick up into a frenzy. “Thanks, Diana,” Akko whispered with a sad, soft smile, the melancholy expression twinging Diana’s heart. Such an expression didn’t seem right being on Akko’s face. She was supposed to be bright and full of life, not sad and downtrodden. Then Akko drew in a deep breath and pulled slightly away, the moment of closeness ending as the promotees returned to their seats and they were all ordered to sit down once more.

The rest of the assembly passed quickly, Holbrooke making her final remarks and telling all of them to be careful during their leave that was to start at noon would last until January 4th. It was then that the thought hit Diana. She knew that Akko was staying at Luna Nova for the break, and that she was far from the only student to do so…many places weren’t safe to travel to at the moment, so around half of the student body would remain at or in the vicinity of Luna Nova for the two weeks. Diana knew that Akko was looking forward to it…two weeks of relative freedom where she could relax a little, go on visits to Blytonbury with the others who were staying, take a breather from the rigorous course work and military discipline. Diana had considered inviting Akko to Cavendish Manor before, but Akko had seemed entirely content to remain at Luna Nova. Now, however…now Diana wanted to get Akko away from this place, away from _Finnelan_. What better place for that than at her ancestral home?

The assembly was dismissed, and a dull roar filled the room as the student body started to excitedly chatter about the break, friends and comrades talking and laughing and calling out to one another, plans being finalized, some of the strain of the military environment easing in the face of the looming leave. Akko had turned to enthusiastically congratulate Constanze on her promotion, no trace of her earlier dismay noticeable, though Diana didn’t miss the slightly concerned touch to the German witch’s dour as normal expression…no doubt she was thinking the same as the rest of them, that Akko should have been promoted with her…

Then Akko turned her attention back to Diana, another smile on her face. “Ready to go back to our room?” she asked over the hubbub around them, and Diana nodded.

“Yes, of course. I need to ask you something once we’re away from all this din,” she replied before giving one final glance at the stage where the cadre were mingling amongst themselves. That was when she noticed the glare that Captain Callistis was shooting Colonel Finnelan, which gave her pause. Captain Callistis was generally so mild mannered that it was hard to imagine her actually being cross at anyone, and yet, there she was, a dark expression on her face and her eyes narrowed behind her glasses as she stared at Finnelan, who hadn’t seemed to notice yet…she was speaking with Major Nelson and Commandant Holbrooke.

…wait. What was _that_? Diana narrowed her own eyes, but not in anger. Rather, she was peering more carefully at the young Captain. For a moment…no, it must have been a trick to the lights. She shook her head slightly, taking a breath and letting out a sigh as she turned to follow behind Akko. Strange, though. For a brief moment, it had almost seemed like Captain Callistis’ dark blue hair had a shimmer of _red_ to it…

xxxXXXxxx

Ursula was livid, angrier than she had been in nearly a decade, and it took every ounce of her control to not let the well of magic within her spill over and ruin everything. But _oh_, what she wouldn’t do to let go that tenuous control, to let her power free, to force this old bitch to cower before her! How _dare_ she?! Ursula just knew that Finnelan was behind Akko not getting promoted today…she had improved so very much, and even Commandant Holbrooke had seemed open to her being given the award of most improved recruit. If she kept at her current rate through to the end of the term, the award was as good as hers, Holbrooke had said. And further, Ursula bloody well knew that Akko’s troubles didn’t lie in the field of military knowledge and ability to lead, but rather in the application of magic, which wasn’t a focus of the Board. She _should_ have been promoted!

And that look, the horribly broken, dejected look on Akko’s face when she wasn’t called…it tore at Ursula. Akko had been working so hard! She had truly put forth the effort to prove herself, only to be denied, and unjustly so. It _had_ to have been done unjustly, it was the only explanation, especially with that smug smirk on Finnelan’s face, the smirk that Ursula had wanted to sorely slap off of that arrogant face of hers. Wouldn’t that have caused a scene!

But no, she had to bite her cheek and hold her tongue. Procedure had to be followed, didn’t it? One wrong move could have disastrous consequence. Ursula had learned that lesson quite well a decade ago. And so she had to wait, to endure, to keep her temper under control as the students filed slowly out of the room. Then, finally, her fellow cadre also started to leave, and she started to set out behind Finnelan, only for a hand to drop on her shoulder, stopping her. Her reaction was immediate: she shot a livid glare over her shoulder at the one who so dared to touch her, only for her severe expression to soften as she met the steady gaze of Croix. “Are you sure you’re in any sort of condition to do this?” she asked softly, and for a brief moment, the raging inferno of fury sweeping through her calmed, abated slightly, and she rested her hand on top of her lover’s.

“For Akko? Yes.”

The look Croix gave her was not entirely convinced, but she still pulled her hand away, fingertips lingering slightly before her arm dropped back down by her side. “Do you want me to come with you?” she asked.

Ursula shook her head. “No. Your position here is even more tenuous than mine is. You need to stay here more than I do, your work is absolutely vital to winning this thing.”

After a moment Croix nodded, face turning bitter as she looked away. “We didn’t know…we couldn’t have known. And yet they still blame us.”

“_C’est la vie, ma chérie_. They needed a scapegoat, and we were convenient.”

Croix grunted before meeting her gaze again. “Go. Go and get her before she escapes, and for the love of the Nine, _be careful_. I couldn’t stand this wretched place, this filthy prison without you by my side.”

Ursula gave her a soft, loving smile. “For you? Anything.” Then she was turning on her heel, marching after where Finnelan had gone, her face stony. This would have to be done carefully.

Small mercies apparently existed: Finnelan wasn’t that much further than Ursula down the hall when she got through the door, and she grit her teeth as she lengthened her stride. “Colonel Finnelan, ma’am, if you have a moment.” Not a question, a statement. Let her know that this wasn’t a _request_.

Finnelan glanced over her shoulder and upon spotting Ursula, her lips pursed. But she stopped and turned around, eyes narrowing slightly as Ursula drew closer. “_Captain_,” she said, voice hard. No name, no other word of greeting, just her rank, a not-so-subtle hint as to the difference between the two of them. Finnelan was three full grades above Ursula, and even if she was being a raging bitch, that rank _had_ to be respected.

“Ma’am, permission to speak freely.”

Finnelan huffed, looking almost amused at the request. “Denied.”

_Merde_. Ah, well, it had been a long shot, anyways. “Very well. I am requesting the Board Files. I have some concerns over a possible discrepancy.”

“Denied,” Finnelan said again before she turned and continued on her way. Ursula’s lips pulled back in a soundless snarl before she gave chase.

“On what grounds, ma’am? There is no reason for my request to be denied.”

“And there is no reason for it to be granted, either,” came the sharp reply, Finnelan’s eyes remaining straight forward.

“The possibility of there being a discrepancy; that the Board’s opinion being ignored is reason enough, _ma’am_. One can’t help but wonder who would presume to have the authority to do so, despite the Board being an independent entity from Luna Nova.”

Finnelan snapped to a halt, turned on Ursula, tried to crowd her, force her to step back, but she held her ground, setting her jaw as she stared up into Finnelan’s now red face. “One should bloody well remember how tenuous their position is at this academy!” she snarled. “If it weren’t for the good graces of the Commandant, _one_ might find themselves having to explain their actions from ten years gone!”

“And _that_ is solely in the domain of the Commandant,” Ursula shot back.

“And if it were revealed just who _Captain Callistis_ actually is, then the Commandant might not have a choice.”

Ursula could feel it, could feel the very moment that red started to bleed into her hair, could see the way that Finnelan’s eyes narrowed as she took the slightest of steps back, hand twitching next to her wand. “And if that information were to be leaked prior to the right moment, then I assure you that the one who did the leaking would suffer the consequences thereof,” she said, her voice as cold as the arctic wind.

“Is that a threat against a superior officer?” Finnelan snapped, but she couldn’t hide the way that the blood drained from her face.

“No ma’am, merely a promise to a higher ranking one.”

The two of them stood there for a long moment, glaring gazes locked until Finnelan finally huffed and looked away. “Are you so willing to risk it all for so insignificant a recruit?”

“Yes. Now and always. The question is, are _you_?” Ursula returned before narrowing her eyes. “Ma’am,” she said, the word so very obviously added on with very little thought of the weight behind its meaning.

Another long moment of tense silence, and Ursula breathed deep and slow, intentionally relaxing, keeping her right arm free and loose. If Finnelan went for her wand, she had full confidence in being able to outdraw her. Very few were her equal when it came to such things, and Finnelan had to know that. Finally, Finnelan spoke. “You may submit a formal inquiry to the Board itself. I promoted the list of recruits I was given, but that list passed through a lot of hands before it landed on my desk.” A cold smirk. “Any discrepancies that you find must surely be the result of administrative error. You understand how these things happen, of course.”

This time when Finnelan began to continue on her way, Ursula didn’t try to follow. She got what she wanted. Anything further would have been useless. Taken a deep breath and feeling the roaring, crackling magic coursing through her veins diminish, she checked her hair to make sure that it was back to its dark blue before she turned, heading back towards the auditorium…only to come to a halt at the sight of Major Nelson standing by the door, looking at her with an unreadable expression. Uh oh. Was this a good or a bad thing? She wasn’t sure. Lifting her chin as she drew closer to the other officer, she offered a single, terse nod of greeting. “Ma’am.”

Nelson nodded back but remained silent as Ursula passed her. Then, as Ursula reached the door and grabbed its handle, she heard Nelson clear her throat behind her. “Ursula…” she said, voice slow and almost hesitant, and the fact that she had used her first name rather than her last name or her rank…

Ursula looked back at her, quirking a brow. “Yes, ma’am?”

For a long moment, Nelson didn’t say anything, just stared at her. Then she merely sighed and shook her head. “It’s nothing. Carry on.”

Hmm. Strange. “…yes, ma’am.” Still feeling Nelson’s eyes on her back, she opened the door and continued on her way, not knowing if she was walking away from an ally or a foe…

xxxXXXxxx

Akko was staring at Diana, a shocked expression on her face. “Um, Diana, are you sure? I don’t want to intrude or be a burden.”

Diana shook her head as she made sure that her duffel bag was properly locked. They’d be leaving in just a few hours, and she had been packed since before the assembly, but she had to do _something_ with her hands. “You wouldn’t intrude and you most certainly wouldn’t be a burden. In fact, I would be honored to have you as a guest.”

Akko stared at her for a moment longer before she huffed, looking away with a strained grin. “Doesn’t matter, though. I would have had to have submitted a leave request like, a month ago to leave the Luna Nova and Blytonbury area. It’s too late for that. Thanks for the offer, though.”

Diana straightened, frowning slightly. “Akko…I really want you to come home with me. I don’t want you to stay here, especially since Lotte is going home to Finland and Sucy is going to be very busy helping Lukić. You’ll practically be left all alone and that thought bothers me. No one should be alone, especially not over Christmas.” She paused, coming very close to pouting. “Don’t you want to come to Wedinburgh with me?”

“Well, of course I do, but like I said, it’s too late to…wait, what are you doing?”

Diana was striding towards their door, determined expression on her face. “Come on.”

Akko didn’t offer any protest as she got to her feet and followed after, though she still looked quite confused. “Where are we going?”

“To get you permission.”

“What?”

Diana didn’t reply, instead setting off at a quick, distance eating march, Akko practically having to jog to keep up. The Commandant. Commandant Holbrooke would have the authority to approve a last minute request, and if Diana was to get in trouble for skipping like, the entire chain of command, then so be it. Akko was worth it.

It didn’t take them long to reach the cadre wing, and as they drew close to the Commandant’s office, the door opened, revealing Major Nelson. She stepped out of the office, a troubled expression on her face, one she quickly smoothed away as she spotted the two of them approaching. “Ah! Cadet Cavendish, Recruit Kagari.” She grinned teasingly. “Wanted to get that last bit of mischief in just before leave started, Kagari?” she asked.

That’s right, Major Nelson wasn’t that bad. Certainly nowhere near so bad as Colonel Finnelan. “No, ma’am,” Diana answered with a grin. “We aren’t here for any mishaps on Akko’s part…as shockingly surprising as that may be.”

“Hey!”

Ignoring the indignant outburst from Akko, Diana nodded towards the door. “Is the Commandant in, ma’am?”

At the question, Major Nelson’s face grew slightly guarded. “Yes, but I have to ask what you wish to speak with her about.”

“A very last minute request for leave, ma’am. I want to bring Recruit Kagari to Cavendish Manor.”

Nelson nodded, grimacing slightly. “Not a bad idea, and one that I think that the Commandant will agree to. Go on in, just follow proper procedure.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Major Nelson started down the hall, only to pause, turning back to face them. “Oh, and Recruit Kagari…I’m sorry to not see Recruit Corporal chevrons on your uniform, but just know that most of the staff is quite proud of your accomplishments. You’re a far cry from the recruit you were at the beginning of the term. Keep up the good work.”

Akko blinked in a shock that Diana felt had to be quite similar to the one running through her. The compliment had been unexpected. “Yes, ma’am, thank you, ma’am.”

Nelson gave one final nod before continuing on her way. Taking a deep breath, Diana knocked on the door, three sharp raps. “Yes?” came the voice from within, and she opened the door, standing on the threshold.

“Ma’am, Cadet Cavendish and Recuit Kagari requesting an audience with the Commandant, ma’am.”

Commandant Holbrooke looked up from where she was sitting at her desk, the wearied and almost lost look on her face fading as she glanced at them. “Enter.”

Thankfully Akko followed behind her, keeping in step with Diana’s quick step march, and they came to a halt in front of the desk, turning to face the most senior officer of Luna Nova and standing at the position of attention. No salute, though, they had not been ordered to report before her. “Ma’am, with my compliments, I would like to request that Recruit Kagari be granted leave at Cavendish Manor and Wedinburgh for the duration of Winter Break, ma’am!”

Holbrooke leaned back in her chair, leather and wood creaking under her as she folded her hands across her stomach. “And you’re willing to be responsible for her during this period?” she asked with a quirked brow.

“Yes, ma’am, absolutely.”

“Hmm, it’s highly unusual for so late a request to be approved, you know,” the Commandant said, voice slightly chastising.

“Yes, ma’am, we’re aware. But I’m hoping that the Commandant is willing to grant an exception just this once.”

Holbrooke chuckled. “Knowing Akko, it won’t be just this once.” She shuffled through the papers on her desk, selecting one before sliding it towards the two of them. “Sign that.”

Diana and Akko both stepped forward, glancing at the paper. It was a Leave Request Form, all the information for Akko filled out, and the section for the Approving Authority complete, to include the block that held Holbrooke’s looping, graceful signature. Somehow she had already known…

“Yes, ma’am,” they both said, and after a silent moment only broken by the scratching of the tip of a pen against paper as they both signed in their respective spots, they stepped back, resuming the position of attention.

“Will that be all, ladies?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Very well. Carry on, and enjoy your break. There will be plenty of challenges waiting for you when you return.” Her wizened gaze turned to the other papers on her desk, and the two of them excused themselves, marching smartly out of the room. Moments later, they were back in their room, and now it was a rush to get Akko packed in time for their departure via Leyline…but looking at the unrestrained grin and excited grin on Akko’s face, Diana knew that she had made the right decision. For Akko to grin like that, open and happy and full of energy?

Why, Diana would do nearly anything to see that smile on Akko’s face.


	11. Mind Your Manors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko joins Diana, Hannah, and Barbara on holiday leave, and is excited not only to see where Diana grew up, but also excited to see the staging area for the British and NATO forces fighting the Grimm in the north of England. However, not everything goes entirely swimmingly, and the reality that awaits them is not quite what Akko expected. What's worse is that the welcome waiting for them isn't exactly _warm_. But that's okay, because she's Akko Kagari, and she was going to do Diana proud...even if she wanted to punch the old bat in the face!

Mind Your Manors

Akko couldn’t help but be aware of how Hannah and Barbara were looking at her while they stood conversing with Diana a slight distance away in the departure field of Luna Nova. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she could just barely hear Hannah say, and she glanced over to see the auburn-haired recruit looking at her. Ah, well, at least the annoyance in her face was tempered by concern and not loathing like it would have been a month ago. Small mercies, she supposed. “You _know_ your aunt isn’t…” she started, but Akko couldn’t catch the rest of the sentence, and she huffed slightly as she turned and looked at the large map board that displayed current travel conditions. A lot of the European students could use leylines to at least get to their home countries, but the leyline terminals could be overrun…Poland had lost theirs last week, it looked like. That didn’t bode well, Akko knew. The Poles had lost a lot of territory this last month, even with the assistance of other European nations. How long until the Grimm offensive continued to push west in Germany and beyond? How long until Poland was only a memory for its sons and daughters that managed to escape in time?

Even Britain…she stepped over, looking up at the British Isles. Scotland had relinquished control of Borders as well as Dumfries and Galloway but were otherwise holding, and the Leeds-Manchester-Liverpool line was still strong, but how long would that last? Luna Nova wasn’t exactly forthcoming with how things were going on the frontlines, so as to have its students concentrate more on their studies, but they couldn’t stop all the rumors, and the rumors said that the Grimm of Britain weren’t attacking but were aggressively defending the territory that they held between Scotland and mid-England. Why weren’t they attacking like the Grimm of the continent were? Why were they waiting?

“Akko, are you sure about this?” came the concerned question next to her, and she turned to look at Lotte. The group of Nordic and Finnish witches hadn’t left yet, and Lotte was staying by her side until they left, it seemed. “I’m sure papa wouldn’t mind you coming to visit.”

Akko grinned at her friend. “Nah, I’m sure. I’m kinda curious about Diana’s home, actually. What kind of home produced someone like her? Plus, Wedinburgh is only forty miles south of Leeds and is a major staging ground for the British military. I might get the chance to meet and talk to veterans who have actually seen action. You know, get some pointers I can bring back to Luna Nova!”

Lotte didn’t look entirely convinced as she glanced over at the Blue Team. “Just…be careful, Akko. That’s a lot closer to the front than I’m really comfortable with, and I don’t think your group is authorized firearms.”

Akko’s smile faded at that, and she glanced over at the flickering leyline portal as the Luna Nova staff adjusted its destination point. Africa, one of the farthest still active points, and one fraught with danger. Wangari was standing slightly separate from the other African witches, as few as they were, and the fact that she was broadly smiling as she said her farewells to Joanna and Kimberly didn’t detract from how heavily she was armed and armored, just like the others in her departure group. The chances of them coming into contact were supposedly slim, but slim or not, there was still the chance of it happening. It wouldn’t be the first time that a witch would depart Luna Nova on leave only never to return. Of course, this was Wangari that they were talking about! Akko knew that under that bubbly extroverted personality was a highly competent combat witch. Akko knew from a frank conversation with the Kenyan witch that she, too, had…

Mmm. Not something to think about right now. As though feeling Akko’s eyes on her (and honestly, Akko would be slightly concerned if her friend _didn’t_ sense her gaze, Wangari was too sharp not to…) Wangari glanced across the busy field at Akko and Lotte, grinned broadly as she waved a jaunty hand, and then mounted her broom, rifle strapped across her body armor laden down with ammo and grenade pouches. From this distance, there was no way that Akko could hear the cried out _Tia Freyre_ that had Wangari floating up in the air, her enchanted luggage lifting up behind her. A moment later, and all the African witches flew through the portal disappearing from sight, and Akko tugged at her bottom lip as she sent a quick prayer to whoever might be listening, a silent plea that this wouldn’t be the last time that she would see her friend.

“I hope they’ll be alright,” Lotte murmured softly, and Akko nodded.

“Yeah, me too.” Shaking off some of the sense of melancholy, she smiled at Lotte once again. “Anyway, yeah, no, we don’t need guns, and given Wedinburgh’s importance, there’s a leyline portal right in it. Diana said that the traffic to it is low enough that we can drop right into town where we’ll get picked up by a driver from her estate. Fancy, huh?”

Lotte chuckled at Akko’s obvious enthusiasm. “Yes, Akko, fancy.”

“All Nordic and Finnish witches report to the leyline,” came the announcement over the battered loudspeakers mounted on long poles on the edge of the field, and Akko and Lotte glanced once more at each other before they were hugging.

“Take care, Akko, stay safe,” Lotte murmured, and Akko squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, I will! Give my love to your family, and bring some goodies back with you, alright?” she softly replied. “And not just for me, but also for Sucy, okay? She really misses her family, even if she’d never admit it.”

“Of course.” With one last final squeeze, the hug ended, and Lotte gathered up her broom and her gear before making her way to the portal, giving Akko a final smile over her shoulder, one that Akko returned with all the enthusiasm she could muster. At least…at least Norway, Scandinavia, and Finland were secure. For whatever reason, the Grimm seemed to avoid that peninsula like the plague. Now if only they knew why that was, then maybe they could use that to help fight the Grimm elsewhere.

Akko gave one last glance at the map board and all the red patches that denoted Grimm controlled territory that covered so much of it before she heaved her duffel bag over her shoulder, mindful of the broom strapped to it, and she made her way over to Diana, Hannah, and Barbara. If she remembered correctly, they’d be one of the last groups to leave, after the Scottish witches leylined to the Isle of Mann where they would catch a military flight to Glasgow. The four of them would be there for a while, which was almost torture. Honestly, Akko couldn’t wait to get to Diana’s home for a whole slew of reasons: she’d get to visit some of England that wasn’t Luna Nova, she’d get to meet some of Diana’s family, she’d get to find out more about Diana, and she’d _finally_ be able to wear something other than a military uniform! Gosh, it had been so long since she’d worn civilian clothes that she wouldn’t be surprised if she wouldn’t know what to do with herself! She glanced at Diana for a split second as she drew close, a blush touching her cheeks. Too bad she didn’t have anything really nice that would probably impress Diana…

Err, Diana’s family. Impress Diana’s _family_. She wanted to make a good first impression, after all, especially after everything that Diana did for her. “Ugh, I just want to _go_,” she groaned as she reached the others, almost carelessly tossing her duffel onto the ground next to their gear before flopping down next to it, leaning her back against it, resting her arms on top of the broom.

“Okay, see now that? That is exactly what we’re talking about, Diana,” Barbara sighed as she almost glared down at Akko.

“What?” The question was definitely defensive, especially given how Hannah and Barbara were looking down at her. They weren’t glaring, but they did look close to being disgusted. “What did I do this time?”

Uh oh. Even Diana looked slightly upset. Feeling slightly guilty and not knowing quite why exactly, Akko sat up, shifting uneasily. “Akko, when you’re at the manor, you’re going to have to act with much more decorum. You represent Luna Nova and the British Army, plus Japan,” Diana said, voice steady if not a bit weary.

“Uhh, okay. What does that entail, exactly?” Akko asked, a flutter of nervous energy running through her. She did not do manners all that well. Anyone who knew anything about her knew that she did not do manners!

“It means not being a brute, Kagari,” Hannah grumbled, and Akko pouted.

“Oh, come on, I’m not _that_ bad!” she protested, only to wilt under the unimpressed stares that all three of them leveled on her. The speakers called out for the witches from Central Europe to report, and a large portion of the remaining witches made their way to the portal, and Akko glanced over to see Constanze pick up her luggage with Stanbot’s help, and Akko viciously and stubbornly stomped down the brief envy that flared up at the sight of the corporal chevrons on her friend’s chest. No! Cons _earned_ that! Akko wouldn’t hate her for it!

“Akko, inasmuch as I am fond of you, I’ve seen you eat,” Diana said flatly, drawing Akko’s attention back to the conversation as Diana turned to Hannah and Barbara. “Honestly, do they not teach proper table etiquette for the enlisted?”

Barbara snorted. “Besides how to sit at the position of attention, don’t talk while eating during the first term, and how to finish your food as quickly as possible, no, not really.”

Diana sighed at that, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I was hoping for better,” she murmured wearily before her hand dropped. “Right, so, tonight there’s going to be a formal dinner welcoming me back, it will be attended by some individuals who have been known to be incredibly judgmental.” She paused a moment, looking down at Akko, a certain softness appearing in her eyes, and Akko blushed slightly at the rather unexpectedly tender look. “I’d rather have you by my side, but the seating is going to be based on rank, and unfortunately as a Recruit Lance Corporal, you’re going to be seated further away from me.”

The blush deepened. “Um…”

Diana cleared her throat, looking away, and was it just Akko or did her face turn slightly pink? “If only to keep you out of mischief, of course.”

Oof. Why did that hurt as much as it did? “Yeah, of course. You know me! Always getting into trouble…”

“Hannah, Barbara, as Recruit Corporals, we could have Akko sitting next to one of you. With your help, you should be able to keep most of Daryl’s attention off of her.”

The two of them exchanged glances, neither of them looking happy about the request. Finally, Barbara nodded, raising a flippant hand. “Fine, if we must, I’ll sit next to her.” She narrowed her eyes at Akko. “This means that you need to do what I say, yeah? If not for yourself, then for Diana. You are going to be her honored guest, so watch yourself.”

Akko frowned at the cross tone. “Fine, alright, geez, no need to get so snippy!”

Barbara scoffed, rolling her teal eyes. “We might not be super close to you like the rest of your friends, but we do know you well enough, Kagari. I think there’s plenty of need to get _snippy_.”

“Barbara,” Diana chided gently.

A long sigh. “Fiiine. I’ll behave myself…so long as she does, too.”

Hannah hummed with a worried frown. “What about clothes, though? It is a formal dinner, after all.”

Akko tilted her head quizzically to the side. “Uh, I’ll just wear my uniform, duh.”

Hannah and Barbara giggled behind their hands at that, and Akko was starting to think that maybe going with Lotte would have been the better idea, but Diana had looked so earnest when she had invited her…

“It’s not that simple, Kagari,” Hannah smirked. “Diana is going to be in her Mess Dress and Barbara and I are going to be in dresses…wearing your Service Dress uniform would make you stand out like a sad khaki thumb.”

The more she heard about this dinner the less she actually wanted to attend. “I don’t have any dresses.” Pausing as the call for French witches to report echoed across the field, she glanced at Diana. “Do I have to attend this dinner? I can just eat in the kitchen or something, keep out of the way so I don’t embarrass you…”

There was a pause as they all considered it, and Hannah shot a look at Diana. Not mean or even really teasing, more speculative than anything. “Diana? The idea does have merit.”

Diana shook her head. “No. Aunt Daryl would wonder at that. Akko will be accompanying us on the journey in, it would be more problematic in the long run if she didn’t join us for dinner.” Then she was running sharp, calculative eyes over Akko’s body as she sat by her duffel bag, and Akko’s breath caught slightly in her throat at the intensity of the look. “However, I think that I should have some dresses from when I was younger that will suffice. Anna should be able to tailor one in time for dinner.”

Her? Wear one of _Diana’s_ dresses? Was she blushing? She was totally blushing! “Oh! Um, Diana, there’s no need for that! I’m sure we can do something else. Maybe we can transform some of my clothes for dinner?”

“Nonsense,” Diana sniffed. “It would be no trouble. This should also be the only time that we’re having a formal dinner. I’ve made it quite clear that the rest of our leave should be spent in a more relaxed atmosphere. We all need a break. Plus, there’s the children to consider…”

Akko blinked. “Children?”

Barbara stared at her for a second before a broad smile broke across her face. “You didn’t know?” she asked before glancing at Diana. “You didn’t tell her?”

Diana shrugged, looking almost bashful. “The conversation never came up.”

“Heh. Right, then. Akko, you’ll see. So, where do you think you went wrong in the Board?”

Akko frowned as she petulantly plucked grass from the field, dropping the blades on the camouflaged legs of her trousers. “I don’t know. I got an 87 on the exam and aced the physical fitness test, so I don’t think it was any of that, but I can’t think of any one thing during the Board itself that would have resulted in a failure.”

She didn’t notice the sharp glances that Hannah and Barbara shot each other. “Well, no worries,” Hannah asked, voice now almost gentle. “Sometimes these things happen. We’ll get you corporal in the next Board in February, you’ll see.”

“All Irish, Scottish, and Northern England witches, report.” With that group moving forward, there weren’t many of them left, maybe twenty, and Akko sighed as she got back up to her feet, brushing the grass from her uniform.

“Suppose we should start getting ready, right?” she asked, careful to keep the bitterness that was suddenly roiling in her gut out of her voice. The shock had worn off only to be replaced by anger. She should have been promoted, right? She had worked so hard! _Why_ hadn’t she been promoted? What had she done wrong?

A firm and comforting hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Diana giving her a sad, knowing smile. “It’ll be alright, Akko, I promise. Like Barbara said, we’ll get you that promotion. We all know you deserve it.”

Some of the anger and grief and doubt melted away in the face of that smile, and Akko gave a timid grin in return. “Yeah, we will.” Then, with an energy much closer to her norm, she bounced over to her stuff and unstrapped her broom from her duffel bag. “I’m getting better at flying! I don’t think we’ll have a problem like we did last time we flew!”

Diana laughed at that. “Yes, I’m sure! You have been practicing like crazy, and you’re definitely much better now. Do you want me to levitate your luggage with mine?”

Akko’s first thought was to say no, she didn’t need the help, but she managed to swallow the enthused protest. Maybe if it was anyone else who made the offer, but this was Diana, and Diana knew her like no one else at Luna Nova did. Offering a bashful smile as she rubbed the back of her neck, Akko shrugged. “If it wouldn’t be a bother?”

Diana’s smile was warm. “I would be delighted to help.”

The short moment was ruined as Hannah coughed something that Akko couldn’t catch into her fist. Barb snorted at whatever it was, and Akko narrowed suspicious eyes at the two of them, only to be met with entirely too innocent gazes that were kept carefully blank. Hmm. Fishy. Even Diana was frowning at her two friends. But before any other words could be said, the speakers crackled to life once more: “Central England. All witches to Central England report.”

At those words, they all mounted their brooms and cast _Tia freyre_, lifting into the air (Akko far more slowly and certainly wobblier than the other three) and after Diana, Hannah, and Barbara cast levitation spells on the duffel bags, they drifted over to the portal event horizon, attention on the staff member manning the controls of the leyline. She made her final adjustments, paused, and then lifted a paddle, its green face facing them. Excitement thrumming through her, Akko urged the broom forward and into the leyline with all the others, the energy of the magical tunnel crackling over them, and then they were off, Akko very careful to keep her broom close to Diana and the others. And hey, at least she learned her lesson with salty stuff. No pickled plums with her this time!

Thankfully the trip didn’t take all that long, and soon they were flying out the other end, and Akko looked about her with wide-eyed curiosity, eager to catch every little detail. Much to her disappointment, what was waiting for them wasn’t anything really exciting. Instead of the field of Luna Nova, the leyline terminal for Wedinburgh was in a city square, and save for the witch manning the controls and what looked like a platoon standing guard in fortified positions, the area seemed fully deserted. Not quite what Akko was expecting, really…

“Come on, Akko,” Diana called as she started to fly off towards a stone archway set between two of the tall buildings that ringed the square. Akko didn’t miss that this arch was the only way in and out of the square and that the first two stories of all the buildings surrounding the square had their windows bricked in. If they ever lost control of the leyline, if the Grimm ever managed to get access to it, then they’d be penned in, unable to break out without serious casualties. It seems that the lessons from the Fall of Budapest had been learned well here.

With that somber thought weighing on her, she followed after the other three, all of them keeping well above what little foot traffic there was coming through the archway, and Akko glanced at the reinforced gates set in the walls, and she hoped that they’d never _have_ to be shut in the face of the Grimm, but the chances of that happening…

The city beyond the leyline square was much more active, and there were lots of military personnel amongst the civilians who seemed content to go about their days, faces grim, barely a single smile to be seen on any face. Akko’s excitement at the sight of so many soldiers faded quickly in the face of the heavy atmosphere that seemed to grip the city, but then, could they be blamed? They were only forty miles from the front, close enough that a major breakthrough from the Grimm could reach them in a scant day or two. But there was something else, something that…

She blinked, broom slowing as she more carefully scanned the crowds of soldiers and civilians, but no, she was right. “There’s no children,” she said, unable to keep the sadness from her voice, and Diana looked back at her, her face almost weary as she smoothly brought her broom back to Akko.

“No. Or at least, not many of them. All the parents here have been encouraged to send their children south. If the Grimm break the lines, then the people here are expected to follow after. I believe it’s a general order from the mayor that every civilian still here has vital documents and supplies packed and ready to go. Following the Leeds Model, they can assemble at evacuation points on rail, bus, lorry, and leyline within the hour.” At those words, Diana scanned over the crowds as well, suddenly seeming much older than her nineteen years. For a moment, Akko was confused, until she recognized what she was seeing: Diana looked like some of the higher level military commanders that Akko had seen. Not quite like Holbrooke…after all, Luna Nova was still a school. No, like the true combat commanders, the officers responsible for battalions and regiments and divisions, whose very word could result in the death of their subordinates. Diana’s face was the face of one directly responsible for the safety of the people below them.

“Diana…” Akko started, almost hesitantly, uncertain how to continue the thought that was suddenly buzzing in her head. “Umm…why does your family have a manor?” she finally settled on asking, even as she tried to remember everything she could about the Cavendishes, beyond the fact that Diana was crazy good at magic and that her mother had been a high ranking officer. Then she noticed how Hannah and Barbara were just ahead of them, waiting for them to continue, and their faces were uneasy and sad and knowing.

Diana noticed the other two as well. “Girls, it’s okay, she was going to find out sooner or later.” She turned back to Akko with a tired smile. “The Cavendish family was long the protectors of Wedinburgh. The head of the family is traditionally a Countess.”

Akko blinked, taking that in. “Oh, so your aunt is a Countess, then?”

Hannah bristled and Barbara flinched, but neither said anything even as Diana sighed. “No. My mother was the Countess of Wedinburgh, her title will pass down to me.”

Akko’s eyes shot wide open. “Oh! So…wait, should I call you Lady or something? I’m sorry, but I don’t know much about European titles…” she said with an apologetic wince, one hand scratching the back of her head.

Diana’s lips pursed at that. “No,” she said, voice as flat as her suddenly lifeless eyes. “Not yet. I have not yet earned my mother’s title.” Without another word, she turned her broom and flew off, leaving the three of them with no choice but to follow silently after. Thankfully Hannah and Barbara didn’t really seem pissed at her, though they were obviously upset. Then again, so was Akko, even if she didn’t know exactly why.

Moments later found them landing their brooms by the side of a main road where a sleek black car was waiting for them, and elderly gentleman standing ready for their arrival. Diana smiled at him, and Akko felt some of the tenseness to her shoulders easing as some of the warmth that she affiliated Diana with returned to her friend’s eyes. “Carter, it’s so good to see you again!” she said, and it was obvious that she truly meant the words. The man smiled in return, giving a short bow.

“And you as well, Miss Cavendish,” he returned before moving to the back of the car, opening its boot. He quickly stowed their duffel bags and brooms, and soon they were all sitting in the car. Akko was in the front and the other in the back, which suited her just fine as the car smoothly accelerated onto the road that was almost completely devoid of any other vehicles, and what few vehicles there were driving were almost all military lorries and armored vehicles, something Akko openly gawked at. Wow, Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks and Warrior Armored Fighting Vehicles! She had only ever seen pictures of them before, it was so cool to actually see them in person! She glanced over her shoulder, ready to point out some of the cooler vehicles on the road and in assembly points in the fields just off the road, but the other three were quietly talking amongst themselves, Hannah and Barbara obviously comforting Diana. Akko’s excited smile faded away as she took in the sight.

Diana was so strong and smart…Akko couldn’t think of anyone else she wanted to reach the level of, but for all that strength…Diana struggled to reach out for help, didn’t she? So ready to help those around her, ready to assist one of the worst recruits in all of Luna Nova so that she was able to succeed where before she was almost failing. But for all that strength, she didn’t seek help with her own burdens. Now, seeing Hannah and Barbara comforting Diana? It warmed Akko’s heart. She was so very glad that the three of them were together again, that she and Hannah and Barbara had gotten past the bad blood between them so that they could be there for Diana in a way that so few people were. Even Akko, for all her closeness with Diana, wasn’t able to slip past those defenses that Diana had raised. It was almost as though Diana put those around her in two categories: the people she could help, and the people who could help her. It seemed as though there were only really two people in the latter category.

The thought had Akko squaring her jaw, determination filling her to the brim. Well, she would change that! She’d be strong enough that Diana could come to her when she needed help! She’d become worthy of being both a rival and a friend to Diana! Mind made up, she settled back in her seat, folding her arms over her chest as she began to tentatively plan on just _how_ she was going to earn that privilege. Diana shouldn’t just have two people to go to if she needed help. Someone as wonderful and as strong and as…as _beautiful_ as her shouldn’t be so lonely. It just wasn’t right.

That was her train of thought when the car turned down a smaller road bordered by stone and wood fences, and soon an expansive estate came into view, and Akko’s mouth dropped open in awe. Holy crap, this place was _huge_! This is where Diana grew up?! The car went over a large bridge that spanned a river, and stopped in front of an Entry Control Point next to a squat tower. The ECP was made of concrete barriers and triple strand concertina wire and manned by heavily armed British soldiers, one of whom who checked the car before waving them forward as the metal bar across the road raised. The car eased forward onto the fortified platform beyond it, and Akko craned her head to try and peer down the sides of it…it seemed like it was a good two stories above the level of the river below. The road continued on to their right, past another ECP before running along the top of a ridge that curved along an expansive moat that surrounded the manor proper. Their car went over a narrower bridge that spanned the moat itself, and that had yet another ECP at the end of it, this one in the tunnel that ran through a two story building…oh, what were they called? Ah, right! A gatehouse!

Between the many ECPs and the gatehouse and the way that the manor grounds were elevated above the moat and surrounded by a wall that had groups of soldiers patrolling around it, Akko imagined that this place would be very difficult to take. Then they passed through the tunnel of the gatehouse, and a strange feeling not unlike static crackled over her skin. For a moment, Akko was puzzled, but then she realized that that must have been the magical wards of the estate allowing her admission. The defenses of the Cavendish Manor were many, it seemed.

The Manor itself was proud and strong looking, and she spotted multiple heavy weapons emplacements located on its battlements and towers. Truly, Cavendish Manor would be able to hold against even the fiercest of attacks, something that relieved Akko. Between the magic and mundane defenses, she’d be surprised if Grimm could ever manage such a thing, even at night when they were at their strongest. Even a contemporary army that had heavy weapons would find Diana’s home a tough nut to crack!

There was a broad, circular drive past the gatehouse, and the car drove along it even as a throng of people exited the arched entryway, both civilian and military making up its ranks. By the time the car came to a halt, they were neatly lined up, and Akko gave them only the most cursory of glances before she opened the door and exited the car, stepping down its length to open the door for Diana, Hannah, and Barbara.

“Well, well,” came a cold voice that fairly oozed disdainful superiority, “Luna Nova has seen fit to assign personal aides? How quaint.”

She looked over her shoulder at the woman wearing an ugly mint green dress and blouse who had spoken, and blinked. This must be Diana’s aunt, the one that Hannah and Barbara had seemed worried about. The family resemblance was striking, but for all that their hair and eye color and the shape of the face was comparable to Diana’s, that was where the similarities ended. This woman’s blue eyes were like chips of ice, holding none of the warmth that Diana’s had. “Pardon?” Akko asked, feeling confused by the statement. Personal aide? Just because she opened the door?

“You, girl, you are Diana’s aide, yes? Carter will show you where to stow her belongings.”

Akko frowned, more confused than upset. “No, ma’am, I’m not her…I’m a recruit at Luna Nova, I’m going to be a combat witch.”

Those cold blue eyes turned flatly disbelieving even as they flicked to Diana and the other two as they got out of the car. “Really? Is that so? And your name is?”

Akko popped to attention, chin held high. “Recruit Lance Corporal Atsuko Kagari, ma’am!” she barked with military precision while the small crowd behind the woman looked on in curiosity. Besides the household staff, there were two young women who simply had to be this woman’s daughters, and standing next to the one who was visibly pregnant was an Army officer in his service dress. His dark eyes and brown hair, his square jaw, broad shoulders, and narrow hips made him rather look like Hollywood’s idea of an ideal soldier. But then, judging by the ribbons on his chest, he had seen his share of action and had done quite well besides. Then she recognized the regimental buttons on the collar of his khaki coat, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. The Coldstream Guard! This wasn’t just any officer, and if he was the commander of the unit here, then Cavendish Manor was guarded by one of the most storied units of the British Army.

“Kagari, Kagari,” the woman muttered, tapping a finger against her chin almost mockingly. “I can’t say I’ve heard of a witch family with your surname.”

Akko dared to grin in a way that she hoped was charmingly disarming. “That’s because I’m not from a witching family!” she said brightly, only to hear Diana suck in a short, sharp breath next to her.

“What?!” the woman scoffed.

“Honestly, mother, it’s as though Luna Nova will let in anyone these days,” the daughter who wasn’t pregnant said. Her sister looked like she was going to say something, but she glanced over at the officer and remained silent.

“Luna Nova has certainly fallen,” Diana’s aunt said, her voice almost musing. “And damn these times that such a thing is necessary. If only riff raff like you weren’t needed to fight those beastly Grimm…” Cold blue eyes flicked to Diana. “The children are one thing, but pathetic witches from nobody families are something entirely different. I expect better from you.”

Now, there were just some things that Akko couldn’t ignore. Glowering, she stepped forward, a furious rebuke ready on her lips when booted feet _moved_ on the gravel drive, Diana suddenly standing in front, one arm held out protectively, shielding Akko from the aunt’s vitriol.

“She’s an upstanding young witch, _Aunt Daryl_,” Diana fairly seethed. “I will _not_ allow you to try my guest so rudely, is that understood?”

Even as that happened, Hannah and Barbara were hauling Akko slightly back by her arms, Hannah leaning in close to her ear. “_Mind your goddamn manners, Akko!_” she hissed. “_Even if she’s being an utter bitch!_”

Akko glanced at her, saw the earnestness in her face, and then turned her head to catch Barbara’s slight nod. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed. Daryl watched all of it with those hard eyes before she shrugged. “Have it your way, Diana.” Then she was looking past them, back towards the gatehouse and her expression brightened. “Ah, excellent, just on time.”

They all looked back to see more vehicles driving through the archway, a black Rolls-Royce escorted by two Land Rovers armed with heavy machine guns, and Diana sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Just who did you invite this time, Aunt Daryl?” she asked.

“Why, no one, of course. They were already in the area and asked if they could stop by.”

The three vehicle convoy came to a stop behind the car that they had arrived in, and the security detail dismounted first, one of them stepping forward to open the back door of the Rolls-Royce, and two men exited, an older gentleman wearing a finely tailored suit, and behind him, wearing the No. 8 Combat Dress was-

“Hey, Andrew!” Akko beamed as she turned to face them, only to cough as Barbara jabbed her elbow into her side. Oh, right, they were all in uniform. “Err, sorry, sir!” she said as she returned to the position of attention, saluting with the others, salutes that Andrew returned with an amused twitch of his lips.

“Akko, how are you?” he asked, and she grinned widely once more.

“Eh, doing all right. Hey, you graduated, congrats!” she said as she gestured at the 2nd Lieutenant rank on his chest. “Did you make the Grenadier Guards?”

His own smile faltered, and he glanced at the man in the suit standing next to him. “Ah. No, actually. I volunteered for the Yorkshire Regiment.”

Diana actually gasped at that, and Akko glanced at her, confused at the reaction. “But Andrew!” Diana said, only to wince. “Oh, um…sir! With the cadet’s apologies, but the Yorkshire Regiment, sir, it’s…”

“Currently manning the defensive line to the north,” the man said, obviously unhappy with what he was saying. Sharp green eyes found Akko, pinning her to the spot. “Miss Kagari. I see you are doing well, even after crashing the party celebrating my son’s achievements.”

“Eh-heh,” she nervously chuckled, trying to shrink away from the man’s piercing gaze. That’s right, she really had annoyed Minster of State Hanbridge, hadn’t she? But then, she didn’t know that Sucy was going to release the cupid bee at the Dining Out party.

“Oh, ease up, father. She certainly made the even more lively. I rather appreciated it at the end of the day.”

“_Anyway_,” Daryl Cavendish broke in, obviously annoyed at the familiarity that Akko seemed to share with the Hanbridges, judging by the glare she leveled at Akko. “Minister Hanbridge, I welcome you to Cavendish Manor,” she said as she gestured towards the entry, and she and Minister Hanbridge started to make their way within, followed by Daryl’s daughters and most of the household staff, only the pregnant daughter offering what might be considered an apologetic smile over her shoulder. “I implore you to enjoy your stay before you head north to inspect the front and deliver your son to his unit. Why, they are very lucky to be getting so talented a young man!” Daryl continued, her voice almost sickeningly sweet as it faded away.

Diana sighed as she watched them leave before turning to Andrew. “Andrew, you volunteered?” she asked, voice stricken, and even Akko felt a flare of unease at that. Volunteering for front line duty was incredibly dangerous.

Andrew nodded, green eyes glinting with determination. “I will not hide behind my father’s position,” he said, voice firm.

Barbara scoffed at that. “If only other sons of import individuals had such honor, sir. Louis Blackwell is a coward, you’ll never convince me otherwise. And his father being the Minister of Defense and all!”

Diana held up a hand, face going hard. “His personal demeanor aside, he is still a commissioned officer in the Army. We will not speak poorly of him.” She gave a slight huff. “Better not to speak of him at all, really.” Her gaze returned to Andrew, and it softened. “You look well, Andrew. Please stay safe!”

A lopsided grin. “I’ll do my best!”

Then, before another word could be said, there was the sound of dozens of feet running hard from within the manor, and Akko turned just in time to see many children pouring out of the building, their faces lighting up en masse as they caught sight of Diana. Behind them came others, two pairs of adults that Akko could see the resemblance to Hannah and Barbara. Their parents, most like, and there were some more children with them, siblings, no doubt. But they held back, smiling as Hannah and Barbara ran forward to greet them, skirting around the throng that surrounded Diana, clamoring for attention, and it was hard to catch individuals words in all the hubbub!

“-guys, big sis Diana is back!”

“Quit pushing, I wanna hug her too!”

“Diana, lookit the drawing I did!”

“Look, Diana, I made something for you!”

Akko rocked back on her heels at the sheer enthusiasm that all these children had for Diana. Who were these kids, and why were they looking at Diana like she hung the sun and the moon in the sky? For that matter, why was Diana looking at them with such tender love in her eyes? Why was there a hint of sadness on her face? Who _were_ these kids?

Then one of them glanced over at her, caught her staring. “Everyone, look, someone new!”

A moment of panic as the crowd of children, ranging from a handful of five year olds all the way up to young teenagers stampeded over to her, hitting her with a barrage of questions that came too fast to understand, much less answer. Uncertain what to do, Akko looked up at Diana, hoping for help, but no, Diana was _laughing_ at her, hiding her mouth behind her hand even as her other arm wrapped around her midriff, and she was slightly bent over in her mirth.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, one at a time!” she cried out, earning a moment’s reprieve. But then the questions came again, only slightly slower.

“How do you know Diana?” lisped a girl missing her front teeth.

“Uh, from school-” Akko started to reply only to get cut off by a boy with messy blond hair.

“You look different and talk funny. Where are you from?”

“Oh, um, I’m from a country called Ja-”

“That’s _rude_, Charles! Why are your eyes crimson?”

“I dunno, they’ve always been that-”

“Are you a witch, too?”

“Yes, I-”

“Are you Diana’s friend?”

“I’d certainly like to think-”

An excited gasp from a beautiful little black girl. “Do you _like_ like Diana?!”

That one had her eyes going wide as she looked up at Diana, who had frozen. “Uhhhh-”

“Enough!” The sharp command that stopped the chaos came not from Diana, but from a young girl who had stayed back from the chaotic mob, a young girl with a cane, a young girl with dark hair and grey eyes far too old for so young a face. She came forward, and the others parted way for her limping passage, even the children who were obviously older than her. Once she reached Akko, she lifted up her hand. Akko hesitated for a moment before she bent down so that her head was on the same level as the girl, and Akko started to realize as those ancient grey eyes stared deep into Akko’s crimson. Started to realize why these children loved Diana, started to realize why even for all their excitement, their eyes were old and worn, started to realize why the only other adults who had come out were Hannah and Barbara’s parents, started to realize that…

The girl blinked, smiled softly, turned to the others. “Everyone, she’s one of us. Diana has brought another one of us home.”

…these children were all orphans.


	12. Form or Function?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko gets ready for the party with the help of Diana's head maid, Anna. During a conversation with the older woman, Akko has a startling revelation that shakes her to her core. After gathering her wits, she makes her way to the dinner where she catches up with Andrew during cocktail hour. And then, the main event itself, where she will have to contend with Daryl Cavendish. Perhaps the old witch needs to learn the difference between form and function...

Form Or Function?

“Ow!” Akko hissed under her breath as the brush being wielded by the head maid Diana had introduced as Anna caught on yet another snarl in her hair.

A snort from behind her. “I’d apologize, but given that it looks as though you haven’t done anything to take care of your hair, you’ll pardon me for being wholly unsympathetic, honored guest,” came the dry voice, and Akko huffed.

“It’s not like Luna Nova gives us all the time in the world to primp and preen,” she muttered. “We only have so long for -_ow!_\- for personal hygiene in the morning.” Careful to not move her head (so as to not get yelled at, _again_) she glanced in the mirror in the vanity before her at the older woman behind her who was using the brush with all the finesse of a battle axe. “I’m starting to see why Diana keeps hers so short.”

“It does make it easier to care for, yes,” Diana’s voice came from the side, and Akko turned to look at her, only to flinch as Anna sharply rapped the top of her head with the back of the brush.

“_Itai!_” she yelped, more out of reflex than anything…the blow wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but it certainly got her attention. “You don’t have to hit me,” she pouted.

“Stop moving, then!” Anna snapped in a tone of voice that would make any sergeant proud.

“Geez, fine!”

A chuckle at their back-and-forth from Diana, and Akko only just barely didn’t move her head. “Anna, I’m sure you don’t have to be so strict,” she said.

Anna sighed heavily. “And I’m not certain that you aren’t being too kind, inasmuch as kindness is the Cavendish creed.”

Akko gave a single bark of incredulous laughter. “Really? Pardon me for saying this, but this Daryl lady seems like she needs to be reminded of that. If that’s her idea of kindness, I’d hate to see her when she’s trying to be mean!” She paused. “And hey, what’s _that_ supposed to mean?”

A particularly strong brushstroke, yanking her head slightly back as it found yet another snarl. “It means that milady is being all too generous with the honored guest!” Anna retorted, only to sigh heavily, her voice turning much softer as she continued. “Milady, your own dress?”

Something in her voice had Akko stilling, the protest to the rough treatment dying on her lips even as Diana answered. “Yes, Anna, my own dress. Akko should fit in it, especially after you alter it for her.”

“But milady, that dress was a gift from your mother,” Anna protested in a quiet voice. “When I packed it away all those years ago, I never imagined that this was what to become of it.”

A silent stillness gripped the room, and Akko scarcely dared to breath. She watched in the mirror’s face as Diana moved over to the bed behind her, lifting up the yellow dress with the white belt, staring at it with an unreadable expression. “Yes, it was a gift from mother before she died.” Then she turned a sad smile at the two of them, and Akko’s heart lurched in her chest as she fought the nearly overpowering urge to get up and hold Diana close. She hated when Diana got that heartbroken expression on her face. “But I think she wouldn’t at all be opposed to it being repurposed for Akko.”

She couldn’t hold her tongue any longer at that. “Diana, I can just wear my service dress uniform, really! It wouldn’t be any trouble at all.”

Diana shook her head. “No, Akko, trust me. This evening is going to be taxing enough as is. You don’t want to give my aunt any extra ammunition to use against you.”

Akko grimaced at that as Anna continued to brush her hair, the strokes gentler now. “Seriously, what’s up with your aunt, anyhow? Everyone keeps talking about her like she’s the villain of a bad romance drama, I don’t get it.”

Diana hummed softly. “She’s…well, a good way of looking at it is that she’s managing the household while I’m at Luna Nova, but she’s not happy about the fact. There’s a great deal of tradition and ancient magic at play here. I am the rightful heir of Beatrix, and-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, did you say _Beatrix_? As in, ye Nine Olde Witches of yore Beatrix?”

Diana blinked at her in the mirror. “Yes, Beatrix of the Nine Olde Witches is the matriarch of the Cavendish family.” A confused frown. “You didn’t know that?”

“No!” Akko laughed incredulously. God, that explained so much! No wonder Diana was so freaking talented at everything! Not only did she work really hard, but she was descendent of an incredibly powerful witch. Heh, no wonder Daryl had a bug up her ass about how Akko wasn’t from a famous family. “No one ever told me, and that’s not exactly something that would be considered general knowledge, y’know?”

Diana hummed. “That makes sense. Sorry, Akko, I thought…well. No worries, I suppose. Anyway, yes, I am the rightful heir, and so Daryl or my cousins can’t assume leadership of the family unless I willingly abdicate my claim or I am incapable of completing the ritual. I imagine it would be much worse if magic was still dormant. Prestige matters a great deal to Aunt Daryl, and given the importance of Wedinburgh and of the Cavendish family itself these days, she’s been able to carry on, but…” And then blue eyes glanced at Anna, a weary knowledge making them look older than they were. “She’s been getting restless. She’s tired of only being a caretaker of the family. She wishes for me to either assume leadership of the family or for me to relinquish my claim.”

Akko pouted. “Well, she’s just gonna have to wait! You need to finish your time at Luna Nova first.”

A smile touched Diana’s lips at that, and she chuckled softly as she lay the dress almost reverentially on the bed, taking a moment to lightly drag her fingertips over the fabric, that sad softness from before appearing on her face again. “Yes, I suppose she’ll have to.” Then her attention returned to Anna. “I’m going to go inspect the hospital and the patients. After that, I’ll be getting ready myself. I trust my uniform is laid out?”

“Yes, milady, in the master bedroom.”

A miniscule flinch from Diana at those words, but she nodded before turning and exiting the room, leaving Akko alone with Anna. “The master bedroom?” Akko couldn’t help but ask.

Anna didn’t answer for a moment, instead running the brush through Akko’s now smooth hair. “Her mother’s room,” she finally said, old voice tired. “This used to be her bedroom, but Daryl insisted that she moved out of her childhood room and into the master bedroom as is proper for the future head of the family.”

“…I really don’t like Daryl,” Akko muttered, and to her surprise, Anna didn’t rebuke her. No, she actually chuckled, as short as that chuckle was.

“You aren’t alone in that sentiment, child. The household staff…well, suffice to say, we stay for milady’s sake. Such loyalty would not likely be conferred to Daryl. Now come on. Up you get, we need to make sure this dress fits you proper!” Sharp dark eyes roved over her figure as she stood from the chair. “I’m worried about your shoulders, they might be broader than milady’s were when she was eleven…”

Akko’s eyebrows shot up as she looked at the dress. “_Eleven_?” she squawked. She was going to be stuffed in a dress that Diana had when she was eleven?!

“Yes, eleven. Now, quit gawking and get undressed, and we’ll see what we can do.”

Akko complied, but even as she did so, she couldn’t help the stab of envy that roiled in her gut. Eight years ago, Diana was roughly as big as Akko was now. Heh. Funny what proper nutrition and not being borderline malnourished did for one’s growth curve…

Stripped down to her underwear, she stood as Anna walked around her, expression thoughtful, though Akko didn’t miss the glint of compassion in the older woman’s eyes. “You’ve…lived a rough life, haven’t you?”

Akko glanced down at the scars that littered her body. Most of them were from being rambunctious and clumsy as a child, but…not all of them were. “Yes,” she answered simply.

A sympathetic hum. “If only the world were such that this wasn’t the reality for far too many children.”

“Like the orphans.”

“…yes, like the orphans,” Anna said softly as she handed Akko the dress.

Akko wasted no time in slipping it over her head, and Anna moved behind her to do up the zipper. “Diana has a huge heart to take them in,” she said as she tentative moved her arms, testing the fit. A little tight across the shoulders, insultingly loose in the chest, and a little too short for a formal dinner, the hem resting just above her knees, but it would do.

“Yes, but that’s why we love her.”

Akko smiled at the naked admiration and warmth in Anna’s voice, the emotion truly _resonating_ with something that lay deep within her own heart, and she answered without thinking. “It is, isn’t it?”

They both froze at that, and Akko’s face turned brilliantly red as an almost strangled noise escaped Anna’s throat before she cleared it more forcefully. “Pardon?”

“Eh, like a friend! I love her like a friend!” she insisted, and Anna stepped around to the front of her, staring her intently in the face. Suddenly feeling lost, Akko looked up into the older woman’s face with a worried, almost frightened frown. “Right? Just…just as a friend.”

“Honored guest…” Anna said as she lifted a hand out to Akko, who didn’t notice the worried tone. She didn’t notice much of anything except how her head was suddenly swimming and how her heart pounded in her chest. She stumbled to the chair in front of the vanity before collapsing into it, resting her elbows on her knees before burying her head in her hands.

It was just a platonic love, right? The same way she loved Lotte and Sucy, _right_?

But no matter how much she tried to convince herself that this was the case, she knew it wasn’t true, and the fact of it made her feel sick to her stomach. God, it made so much sense, didn’t it? Diana was just so wonderful and beautiful and kind, and had helped her so much, and somewhere along her quest to try and reach the same level as Diana, Akko had started to fall in love, but she had been too naïve to what the budding emotion was. She had never been in love before, didn’t have a name for the warmth in her chest whenever she thought about Diana, at how _good_ it felt to touch or hug her. Stomach roiling, she groaned into her hands.

“Honored guest, are you okay?” Anna asked.

“No,” Akko whimpered before looking up at the older woman as tears gathered in her eyes. “I’m…I’m in love with _Diana_.”

Anna lifted her hand, hesitated, and then rested it on Akko’s shoulder, even as she looked somewhat confused. “Is that such a bad thing?” she asked. “Normally I would think that such a revelation would bring elation, not angst.”

Akko’s fingers curled into tight fists as she drew in a shuddering breath as she desperately tried to rein in her emotions. It was okay, she’d be okay, she just had to breathe, dammit. “Of course it’s a bad thing,” she managed to croak out past a tight throat. “I mean, come on. It’s _me_. As if someone like me could ever be with someone like her.”

That was when the undeniable realization dawned on Anna’s face. “Ah,” she said, and Akko flinched at the simple word that hung in the air between them.

“She can’t know,” she heard herself say, heart lurching in her chest at the words, but they were true. Diana _couldn’t_ know, not ever. “She’s gonna be an officer, she’s gonna be an SMS Witch, and she’ll do wonderful things.” She sucked in a sharp breath, pain stabbing at her heart. “I just…I’m not worthy of her. I’ve heard it every day that I’ve been at Luna Nova: I’m just a below average witch from a mundane family from Japan, an orphan, a _nobody_.” She lifted hard crimson eyes to meet Anna’s gaze. “_She can’t know_, Anna. You mustn’t tell her. Can you swear that you’ll never tell her?”

Anna looked to the side, biting her lip. “Honored guest…Miss Kagari, I don’t know if I can swear that.”

Akko shot to her feet with a frown. “No, you can’t tell her. Can you imagine how her enemies would use that against her? Think about what her aunt would do with that information if she found out! No, this _has_ to stay just between us.” A bitter tear slid down her cheek. “My feelings must not interfere with her future. I…I care too much about her to allow that to happen.”

“Miss Kagari, are you certain that this is what you want?”

Akko shook her head. “It’s not what I want, Anna. It’s what she _needs_.” She wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes. “I will do everything I can to help her, and if that means protecting her from my own feelings, then so be it. Someone like her deserves someone better than me.”

Anna stared at her for a long moment before nodding with a weary sigh. “I must apologize, then. I have misjudged you.” Sharp eyes met Akko’s gaze. “But I think you’re misjudging yourself as well. I will tell no one on one condition: if milady reciprocates your feelings on your own, then you must tell her.”

Akko scoffed. “Yeah, as if that’s ever gonna happen!” Someone like Diana loving someone like her…like that was ever going to happen!

The old maid stared at her, eyes searching. “Mmm. So you say.” Then she straightened. “Right, we need to get that dress fitted to you.”

Akko nodded, eager to put the terrible revelation behind her. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

And so the two of them set to work, Anna tucking here and pulling there as she directed Akko how to stand, securing fabric with pins, her hands quick and sure, showing her many years of experience. Within a few minutes, Akko was able to take the dress off, and Anna took it as she headed for the door. “I’ll be right back, Miss Kagari,” she said, voice significantly warmer than it was when she had first met Akko. “This will be your room during your stay, at milady’s insistence. Her room is the next one down should you need anything. You may get dressed if you would like to, but I should only be twenty minutes or so. Oh, and one last thing…you have encountered her already so you’ve had a taste of it, but milady’s aunt…her familiar is the snake.”

Akko tilted her head, brows gathering in confusion before she nodded. “Ah, like the Caduceus Staff. That makes sense.”

“Quite. But she is known to speak with sharp tongue and venomous words. I would advise caution at dinner tonight.”

“Thanks for the warning.” Then she grinned. “I’m not too worried, though. After all, even the cobra fears the mongoose.”

Anna’s eyebrow raised with a smirk. “And you are a mongoose, then?”

“If I have to be.” She shrugged with a sad smile. “I have very little to lose. I’m just a nobody witch, after all.”

Anna stared at her for a moment before giving an amused huff. “Oh, this should be interesting…”

xxxXXXxxx

Apparently they really meant a proper formal dinner that included a cocktail hour before the meal, Akko thought to herself as she stood in the hall outside of the smaller and more intimate dining room that the dinner itself would be held in. Conversations flowed around the room, and she glanced at the small groups that had formed as she stood alone and to the side, carefully nursing the lager that she had decided on. She had never been a very big fan of drinking as she didn’t like the loss of control that came with being drunk or even tipsy, and so this was likely to be her only drink during the socializing. She hoped that there wouldn’t be much pressure to drink more during dinner…she got in enough trouble when she was in full command of herself, she didn’t want to tempt fate by drinking overmuch! Especially not now, not after she realized the depth of her feelings towards Diana.

Her heart twinged in her chest as she glanced over to where Diana was standing, a fake smile on her face as she chatted it up with the Minister of State and her Aunt. Could they not tell that she wasn’t actually interested in talking to them? To Akko, who had spent so much time with Diana, the smile on her face may as well have been screaming that she didn’t want to be there. But then, that was part of Diana’s duty right now, wasn’t it? It was her job to wear fancy clothes and talk to self-important knobs who either didn’t know or didn’t _care_ that Diana didn’t want to be talking with them.

Akko’s eyes roved up and down those ‘fancy clothes’ that Diana had entered the room in, and the butterflies in her gut exploded into a frenzy even as Akko realized that she really was underdressed for the occasion, as nice as the dress that Diana had loaned her was. Diana’s mess dress uniform…it wasn’t fair, how good she looked, not with the revelation Akko had just had. The short scarlet mess jacket with its rich brown shawl collar and shoulder boards and cuffs was impeccably tailored over her white shirt and black bowtie, and while the yellow dress that Akko was worn fit so much better after Anna’s alterations, it would never look as good as _that_. Not to mention the long dark blue skirt that reached down to Diana’s ankles, a red ‘blood stripe’ running down the sides of the garment, or the black evening shoes that raised Diana’s already respectable height by an inch with their low heels. And despite the fact that her epaulets had a brass ‘C’ for cadet above the diamond shaped Bath star that denoted her Cadet 2nd Lieutenant rank, Diana carried herself like a true officer, catching Akko’s gaze more than either Andrew’s or the other officer’s mess dress uniforms did. There was just something about Diana…

Akko huffed, forced herself to look away as she took a measured sip from her beer, glancing at the festively decorated fir tree that stood in the corner. That’s right, Christmas was only a few days away, wasn’t it? Hopefully the presents under the Cavendish tree weren’t just for decoration, and that some of them were for the orphans and the staff that ran the manor like a fine-tuned ship.

Another shallow sip of her beer, this one contemplative. The orphans. Honestly, she’d give anything to be with them, wherever they were right now. She had barely seen even a hair of them upon entering the manor, which really wasn’t a surprise, given the tailoring that had to be done to the dress that she was now wearing. But she couldn’t help but feel that it would be far more interesting to hang with them and listen to the gossip of the manor and to find out more about them than it was to stand here on the fringes of the room and watch other people talking. To make things even more annoying, she wasn’t even all that hungry, or else she would have been planted by the hors-d’oeuvres table. But ever since she had had her discussion with Anna, even so much as glancing at the table that had food on it made her stomach turn uneasily. Hopefully it would settle before dinner itself started…wasting food that Diana offered her was unthinkable.

“Hey, you alright?”

The question broke her out of her thoughts, and she glanced at Andrew as her came to a stop next to her. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” she said before offering a smile that she hoped was reassuring. “Just tired. Kinda want to hit the hay.” She quickly glanced over his uniform, which differed from Diana’s, mostly in having the royal blue of the Yorkshire Regiment as opposed to the brown of her General Service and in his waistcoat having lots of intricate gold braiding around the edges. And, of course, his 2nd Lieutenant ranks on his shoulder boards didn’t have the ‘C’ above them. He held the Queen’s commission. “Sir,” she added on with a teasing grin, and he smiled in return as he careful leaned against the wall next to her, waving a relaxed hand.

“No need to be so formal, Akko,” he said as he glanced around the room before looking back to Akko, a concerned cast to his face. “No one to talk to?” he asked before he sipped from his own glass, something clear and with a lime in it.

Akko shrugged. “Everyone knows everyone else, I wouldn’t want to intrude. Honestly, besides you, the only people I know are Diana, Hannah, and Barbara, and the wonder twins are catching up with their families,” she said with a nod towards the large cluster of people, Hannah and Barbara talking animatedly with the people that were unmistakably their parents and siblings. Almost as though sensing her gaze, the man who had to be Hannah’s father glanced over at her, and his expression turned odd for a moment, their gazes locking until the older man was drawn back into the conversation with the others around him. “Plus that keeps happening,” she pouted. “I honestly have no idea why he keeps looking at me like that…I mean, they all do. Er, Hannah and Barbara’s parents, that is. But Mr. England seems to do it the most.”

Andrew gave a contemplative hum. “Well, I imagine that they’ve been keeping up correspondence home…I imagine that they have spoken about you extensively.”

Akko blinked. Glowered. Let out a hissing curse. “I hadn’t thought of that. Oh, man, I imagine they hate me.”

Andrew chuckled. “Well, hate might be a bit strong, Akko, but I’m sure they’ve heard some very interesting stories about you. I wouldn’t worry, though. I bet you’ll win them over quickly enough.” He raised his glass to his lips. “You always do,” he murmured into the drink before drinking.

“Huh?”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.” He tilted his head towards Diana. “And her?”

Akko snorted, taking a drink from her beer. “Oh, no, that would be a terrible idea. Your dad definitely isn’t a fan of mine, and I figure that the more I stay away from that snake of a woman, the better. Diana has enough to worry about without having to deal with me getting into a fight with her oba-san.”

“Hmm?”

“Oh. Uh, her aunt, sorry.” She gave a short glare at her now half empty beer. Stupid alcohol.

“Ah, I see.” A thoughtful pause. “Obaasan. Aunt.”

She grinned, shaking her head, unbound hair brushing against the fabric of the dress’s back. “No, not obaa, oba. San is an honorific, kinda like a mister or missus.”

“Interesting. Japanese is a beautiful language, Miss Kagari.”

“Pfft, you can call me Akko.” She nudged his side with a teasing elbow. “Especially if I’m not calling you sir.”

He smiled. “Very well, Akko.”

They both fell into a comfortable silence at that, nursing their drinks, and Akko noticed Diana glance over at the two of them, a slightly concerned look on her face. Akko grinned brightly, energetically waving at Diana, hoping that the gesture was ‘Akko’ enough to hide the turmoil in her own heart. Given the small smile that noticeably warmed blue eyes before Diana returned to her conversation, it was. Diana’s attention no longer on her, Akko’s face grew more solemn. “She’s worried about you, you know.”

Andrew didn’t answer for a moment, brown eyebrows furrowed over vivid green eyes. “I know,” he finally said.

“Why the Yorkshire Regiment?” Akko asked. “I understand not wanting to be blamed of hiding behind your father’s name, but there are plenty of regiments that you could have joined and seen plenty of action. The last report that one of my friends was able to uncover about unit disposition…the Yorkshire Regiment has suffered terrible casualties. The Grimm have taken a lot of the territory that the Yorkshire Regiment traditionally drew recruits from, right? They don’t want to withdraw from the line, not while there’s a chance to retake what was lost.” She bit her lip. “It’s gonna be super dangerous for you. Diana and I…we’re _both_ worried for you.”

Andrew looked down at her for a long, long moment, expression unreadable. But then he smiled, a sad, sad smile. “You’re a good friend, Akko. I never expected to say that, not after our few meetings and especially not after you crashed my party, but you really are.” He drained his glass with one large gulp. “Don’t worry too much. I could only get away with so much…my father insisted that I be the aide for a senior ranking officer.” A bitter grimace. “He’s sacrificing my career for my safety.”

Akko tiled her head as she frowned in confusion. “Nani?”

“Ask Diana what happens to a lieutenant who doesn’t get command of a platoon at the earliest possible opportunity.” He stood away from the wall and lifted a hand, depositing his now empty class on the tray of the servant who came at his summons. Andrew nodded his thanks to the young man before dropping a warm hand on Akko’s shoulder. “Don’t change, Akko. If not for yourself, then for her. She’s going to need all the help that she can get.”

“Um, okay,” she said, the cryptic advice only serving to confuse her further. “Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

Green eyes stared deeply into her crimson. “That’s all that any of us can do, isn’t it?” he mused softly. “Our best.” A slight sigh, and then his gaze dropped to her drink. “I’d suggest finishing that, Akko. Dinner is about to start.”

She watched him for a moment as he made his way away from her before she looked down at her drink with a grimace. Ah, well, bottoms up.

Andrew was proven right five minutes later, the ornate oak doors to the dining room opening, and the small crowd made their way into the room, Akko ending up near Hannah and Barbara in the press of people. “You two look lovely,” she said with a smile, and they both grinned back, Barbara even going so far as to twist her hips, sending the skirt of her blue dress swishing against her legs. Hannah merely smoothed down her burgundy dress’s bodice with prim hands.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she said. “Anna did an excellent job with the alterations.”

Akko glanced down at the yellow dress. “Didn’t she, though? I still feel a little underdressed, though. Especially when compared against you two and Diana.”

Barbara giggled. “We _all_ feel underdressed when compared with Diana.” The crowd moved forward even as Barbara gestured at her family. “Where are my manners? Mama, Papa, this is Recruit Lance Corporal Atsuko Kagari. I’m sure you remember her name from all the letters? Kagari, this is my mother and father, Alice and George Parker.”

Akko grinned widely, offering her hand. “A pleasure, ma’am…sir,” she fairly chirped as they shook hands.

“And these are my parents, Rebecca and Alan England,” Hannah said, and Akko definitely noticed the slightly flinty cast to the father’s smile as he shook her hand.

Ah, well, might as well. “I’m sure you’ve heard _many_ entertaining stories about my, ah, adventures and escapades at Luna Nova,” she said cheerily, a hint of steel beneath the warmth teasing at the truth: _they used to hate me, and they said as much in their letters to you_.

“Yes, quite,” Mr. England said in a stony voice as they finally entered the dining room, and Akko glanced quickly at Hannah, who was looking at the floor, a slight flush on her cheeks.

“Hopefully they’ve become more complimentary lately,” Akko said as they began to find their places at the end of the table. “I must say that your daughters have helped me develop as a Recruit, and I very much look forward to learning more from them in the future.” She glanced at the head of the table, where Diana was quietly talking with Minister Hanbridge and her aunt. God, were they ever going to shut up and give her a moment’s peace? “They are fast friends of Diana…she would be hard pressed to find anyone of their caliber.”

There, let that be the peace branch offered. The past was in the past, let them all move forward.

The elder Englands and Parkers glanced at each other as they stood behind their seats. “Quite right,” Mrs. England finally said as the conversation at the table died down, the guests looking at the head of the table where Diana stood.

“I thank you all for coming to enjoy this dinner with me,” she started, voice rich and warm as she met the gaze of each of them. “There are a very great many who are not afforded the chance to have an evening like this, and I urge you to keep them in your thoughts and prayers, not only tonight, but at all times.” She glanced at Minister Hanbridge. “Most of the food we are eating tonight was grown or raised right here on the estate. Minister, when you visit the front these coming days, we will send you with thirty of our geese, ten sheep, two cows, as much of our milk as we can spare, and all the fresh produce that has been set aside to support the war effort. The other families of Wedinburgh will also make sure that their own gifts join our offerings so that the soldiers on the line might be able to enjoy a proper holiday dinner.” Blue eyes flicked to her aunt. “We will also be donating some of our private wine and spirit reserves. It is better for those drinks to warm the belly of the soldiers who are fighting far from home protecting us all from the Grimm menace than it is for the bottles to continue to gather dust in the basement.”

Minister Hanbridge nodded. “Most generous of you, Miss Cavendish.” He glanced to his son. “How’s that, my boy? Surely you’ll be well received at your regiment with such gifts at your back!”

A charming smile and a measured chuckle, both of them feeling fake to Akko. “Yes, of course, father.”

Diana tilted her head. “Without further ado, let us eat.” She pulled out her chair, sitting down, the rest of the long table following suit, and there was the final murmur and rustling as everyone settled in.

Barb leaned in close to Akko as servants entered with trays. “Napkin in your lap and not your neckline,” she hissed, and Akko’s hands froze by her chest before she brought the cloth square to her lap with a slight blush. “This is soup and salad, start with the outer silverware and work your way in, spoon the soup away from you, don’t slurp, and for the love of the Nine, wait until Diana starts to eat before you tuck in!”

“Is anything the matter down there?” came the coldly amused voice, and Akko and Barb glanced towards the head of the table to see Daryl Cavendish smirking at them, all while ignoring the glare that Diana was giving her.

“No, madam,” Barbara said, her voice saccharine and dripping with false modesty. “I was only discussing an assignment due after break, madam.”

The look on the elder Cavendish’s face was frankly unconvinced, and Akko forced herself to smile at the old bat as Daryl’s unmarried daughter snickered behind a raised hand, while her daughter seated next to her husband merely looked slightly uncomfortable at her mother’s antics. This was going to be a long dinner…

Thankfully it wasn’t as long as it could have been. Daryl’s attention was mostly upon the other members at the head of the table, and Akko was content to tune her voice out as she ate, taking great care to match the movements of those around her. Her appetite also came roaring back the moment that she smelled the soup, and she suddenly realized she was starving…it was actually a challenge not to eat too quickly! Another stroke of luck was that she was once again largely excluded from conversation, which suited her just fine. She’d rather eat than talk right now, especially since the food was so delicious. Nothing against Luna Nova, but the food there was definitely institutional, suited to feeding a lot of people at each mealtime…canned and frozen and otherwise preserved. Everything here tasted surprisingly fresh, almost as though it was only just freshly picked, and Akko made a mental note to ask Anna how they managed that. Maybe greenhouses?

It seemed as though the dinner wasn’t going to be anything crazy like a twelve course meal (did they even have twelve course meals? She couldn’t even imagine anyone being able to eat that much food. Well, anyone except Jas, but she was an exception to the rule…) and the main course was brought out after the soups and salad, and Akko grinned at the sight of the perfectly cooked lamb chops, the buttered asparagus, and the creamy mashed potatoes. It all looked delicious, even the mashed potatoes, which was saying something, given how over served potatoes were at Luna Nova.

Akko was barely able to wait until Diana started in on her own plate before she tucked in, quickly cutting a piece of the meat from the chop before she stabbed it with the fork, laying down the knife and switching her fork from her left hand to her right. In went the lamb chop, and she had to fight to keep from moaning at the explosion of flavor from the expertly prepared and juicy piece of meat.

“Look at that, mother, she doesn’t even know how to use a knife and fork properly,” came the snide voice from up the table, and the other conversations around the table died down as Akko glanced up to see the unmarried daughter sneering at her. “What _are_ they teaching at Luna Nova these days?”

“Perhaps it’s not what they’re teaching and more what _some_ students are learning,” Daryl smirked as she picked up a half empty wine glass. “After all, Hannah and Barbara aren’t having any trouble eating.”

Akko glanced to her right to see Barbara’s jaw working angrily as teal eyes stared at the table in front of her. Her fork was still in her left hand, tines pointed down, and she had just nudged a piece of meat onto the piece of silverware.

Shit. Working the piece of lamb chop to her cheek, Akko frowned. “Um-” she started before being immediately cut off.

“How boorish! Such an animal to not even chew and swallow her food before speaking!” Daryl laughed before taking a sip of her wine. The table had gone completely silent, and now Diana wasn’t trying to hide her glare in the slightest.

Akko took a deep breath, looking up to the edge of the room where Anna stood amongst the other household staff, her dark eyes meeting Akko’s gaze. Those eyes…they weren’t chiding or scolding, but were instead determined, almost goading. Hnh. Perhaps it was time to the mongoose to answer the snake’s venom.

The table still silent, Akko took her time to chew and swallow the succulent chop before she glanced to Diana, hoping that her friend would understand. Diana noticed her gaze, met her eyes before her own widened minutely. But then she gave the slightest of smirks before she gave a nod so miniscule that it might be missed. Ah, good, Akko had permission. “Madam, do you know the difference between form and function?” she asked.

Daryl frowned at the query, likely not expected such a question. “What?”

“Form versus function. I’m wondering if you understand that difference between the two.” She picked up the knife that lay on her plate, running appreciative eyes along its length. The handle was beautifully ornate, and it was wonderfully balanced, the tip coming to a graceful point. “Take this knife for example. This knife is like Diana, or any officer taught at Luna Nova. Beautiful, cultured, elegant.” She tested the blade with her thumb. “But razor sharp and able to cut, to stab, to carve. Luna Nova recognizes that the form of an officer must match the function of a weapon. The officer must display grace and style even while being able…” crimson eyes snapped up, unflinchingly meeting cold blue, “…to _kill_.”

She chuckled, leaning back in her chair, gaze returning to the knife. “But the other ranks? The future fodder for the Grimm? What use does a Private or a Lance Corporal have for being pretty and cultured? No, we aren’t like this beautiful knife, we’re more like a plain dagger or combat knife, entirely utilitarian. Some might even say ugly. We aren’t like officers.” She looked back to the elder Cavendish, grinning almost ferally. “Luna Nova doesn’t bother much with our form; the school is far more preoccupied with teaching us our function: how to kill Grimm and people,” she said, voice miraculously calm even as the memory of the scent of blood teased her senses.

With a flick of the wrist, she set the knife to spinning in her hand, candlelight gleaming and flickering against polished silver as the knife danced in her palm and along her fingers. “You are far too preoccupied with form, madam. You may know which hand the knife belongs in when cutting meat at the dinner table, and that is commendable…for a civilian. Me?” The knife came to a quivering stop, light playing along its edge as Akko held it in her hand. An unpleasant prickle ran across her skin as she continued, the words not her own but instead the words of the manuals themselves, heavy and stilted in her mouth...but who could blame her for talking like this when the topic was so grim? “I know how to silently eliminate a sentry with it. If I find myself in a knife fight, I am well versed in where to stab and where to cut to end the fight in my favor as quickly as possible. I know the best way to employ it against a Creature of Grimm to hopefully survive an otherwise hopeless encounter.” Face now bleak, she stared deep into the cold blue eyes of Daryl Cavendish. “Which will do me more service on the frontline, madam?”

Daryl Cavendish didn’t answer, merely glared at her.

Akko sighed and gently put the knife down, pausing for a moment as she figured out exactly how to say what she needed to say. “I apologize that my coarse manners offend your delicate sensibilities, madam,” she said bluntly as she refused to break gazes with Daryl, and suddenly she was filled with a passionate determination, her voice nearly quivering as she continued. “But I will _not_ apologize for who and what I am, not when that will help keep the witches on my left and right alive and breathing, your niece and Hannah and Barbara included!” she fairly cried out, heart pounding in her chest, her passionate belief in her words bringing red spots to her cheeks as she continued to stare the older witch down.

A short chuckle, and Akko glanced over at the Lieutenant as he coughed into his fist. “I’m sorry, mother,” he said as he rested his hand on top of his wife’s hand, “but I rather have to agree with her in this regard. ‘Proper dining etiquette’ is not one of the things we expect of incoming replacements, witch or otherwise. We need people who are trained how to kill and work as a unit.” He lifted his glass to Akko with a nod. “Lieutenant Ernest Crowther of the Coldstream Guards. A pleasure, Recruit. Perhaps someday we will meet on the battlefield.”

Akko returned his nod with one of her own. “For the sake of your wife and coming child, I hope that we never have to meet under such circumstances, sir.”

He laughed. “Fair enough, fair enough! Now, tell me, how _was _this lamb prepared? It’s absolutely delicious!”

Conversation resumed, slowly at first, but then picking up, and Akko returned to her food, taking care to eat it properly, as tempting as it was to do otherwise, if only to spite the old bitch. Then a nudge against her right leg, and she glanced at Barbara to see her smirking slightly as she continued to eat demurely, not looking at Akko. Further up the table, Diana was staring at her, eyes warm and a gentle smile on her face, and she gave another nod before returning to her food.

Diana approved of what she had said. Funny how that was both wonderful and terrible…that warm and accepting expression on Diana’s face only made it easier for Akko to fall deeper in love with her, and _that_ was the very last thing that Akko needed right now!


	13. A Solemn Leave and a Merry Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the formal dinner marks the beginning of the holiday leave in earnest, even if it seems like Diana is just as busy with work as ever. But there are some things that only she can do, and she would be remiss if she ignored them in favor of relaxing. And if she works hard enough, she'll be able to truly relax and enjoy Christmas, which is very rapidly approaching.
> 
> ...and why does Akko have to catch her attention so?!

A Solemn Leave and a Merry Christmas

Diana’s eyes fluttered open as she gently came awake the morning after the formal dinner, and she lay in her bed for a long moment, staring up at the dark ceiling above her. The room was comfortably warm, and her blankets held her in a cozy embrace. The temptation to close her eyes and return to slumber was almost over powering, but…

…but she had responsibilities, even during holiday leave. With a sigh, she sat up, glancing at the clock on the nightstand next to them bed. 05:03. Unsurprising, really. No alarm had woken her, but she had been getting up at this hour literally for years now. It was a habit, one that her body wouldn’t break, even if it would have been nice for even one more hour…

It didn’t take long to get ready. She brushed her teeth and her hair in the bathroom attached to the master bedroom, and got dressed in casual clothes, the cut of the civilian clothing feeling odd after being in nothing but uniforms for months on end. Still, despite that oddness, it felt nice to be in something more relaxed and comfortable. Later, she’d insist on a PT session with the girls, but for now, she’d stick with her jeans and a wool jumper over a plain short-sleeved undershirt, and thick socks and comfortable slippers on her feet to fend off the chill of the floor.

She stepped out into the hall, shivering slightly in the cooler air as she rubbed her arms through the sleeves of her jumper. The occupied rooms were kept comfortably warm, but in the interest of reducing the amount of heating oil they used, the rest of the manor was intentionally left cooler. The lads on the front needed the oil more than they did, and it wasn’t as though they couldn’t simply put on another layer of clothing, anyhow.

She paused for a moment before quietly striding to the next door down the hall, and she took care to turn the knob as gently as possible before opening the door. The hinges were well oiled and whisper quiet, something to commend the household staff on (Anna ran a tight ship, after all) but for all her effort to keep as silent as possible, Akko’s head still popped up out of the messy mass of blankets on the bed. Her hair was an absolutely mess, and her eyes were still quite heavy with sleep as she blinked blearily at Diana. “Whazzit?” she almost slurred.

“Just checking on you, making sure everything is alright,” Diana answered with a fond smile at how adorable Akko was right now, the sight of her warming Diana’s heart.

“Mmm. Time?”

“A quarter past five. You can go back to sleep, Akko. I’ll have someone come wake you before breakfast, if you’d like.”

“M’kay.” Without another word, Akko flumped back down onto the bed and pulled the blankets back over her, and Diana chuckled as she quietly closed the door again before making her way down the hall and towards the kitchens. Cute. That was the only word for that. Akko was just absolutely adorable.

The kitchens were a beehive of activity, the head chef keeping close watch over his staff as they prepared a breakfast fit to feed an army, as was only proper. After all, Cavendish Manor practically _had_ an army living within it at the moment, with well over fifty residents and staff, not to mention the security detail from the Army! Not to mention all the patients…

Diana nodded her greeting to the staff as she edged along the outskirts of the massive room, heading towards the industrial sized coffee pot that was always kept full. She was definitely more of a tea girl, but a mug of coffee in the morning was always appreciated to jump start the day. And she wasn’t the only one to think so, apparently: Lieutenant Crowther was in his winter physical fitness uniform and was sitting on a stool next to the stainless steel behemoth. His face was pinched in the way of someone who was not nearly awake enough to fully process what was going on around them, and his hands were both wrapped around a steaming white ceramic mug with ‘#1 Dad (To Be)’ emblazoned on it, bringing a small smile to Diana’s face. “Good morning, sir,” she said with a polite nod.

“Cadet,” he responded in a still thick voice as she grabbed a plain mug from the rack next to the massive urn and poured herself the steaming hot coffee from one of the spigots on the side of the beast.

“Long night?” she couldn’t help but ask as she added a spoonful of sugar and a dollop of cream. She could drink it black as the situation called for, but would rather have some of the bitterness of the brew soothed away.

“Your cousin couldn’t get comfortable last night, said the baby was kicking her in the kidneys. And if she couldn’t sleep, _I _couldn’t sleep,” he said before giving a jaw cracking yawn.

Diana hummed softly, glancing at him for a moment before her gaze returned to her butterscotch colored coffee. “But you wouldn’t change it for anything, would you?”

A soft, albeit tired, grin touched his face as he took a sip of his coffee. “Not for anything in the world.” The grin faded away, replaced by a far more somber and worried expression. “We’re thinking that she’s going to go to the London house for the birth. It’s safer for her there, and the staff there will be able to help with the baby.” He frowned into his coffee. “Just wish that such a thing wasn’t necessary.”

Diana dragged her finger around the lip of her mug, her own brows drawing together. Oh, and how necessary it truly was. She was currently in no position to further the Cavendish line, and with Andrew’s current service in mind, negotiations between their two families had been put on hold. Perhaps after his first frontline tour was over, the marriage between him and Maryl could proceed. Until that happened, Merrill’s child was the future of the family. Even if the absolute worst case scenario was to become reality and the Grimm managed to capture Cavendish Manor, then so long as Lieutenant Crowther and Merrill and their child were spirited away to a safe place, not all hope for the family was lost. “Will you be joining them?” she asked softly, not looking up at him.

A long, almost tense pause answered her query. “Not at first, no. My primary task is to guard the grounds from Grimm attack. If we are unable to do so and we retreat in good order, my secondary mission is to guard the Cavendish family, wherever they may be.” He pursed his lips. “A great favor to me, though I’m certain that if my father wasn’t who he was and if your Aunt weren’t sympathetic towards Merrill’s plight, then I’d be deployed somewhere far more dangerous.” A gusty sigh. “I won’t lie…I’m both relieved and yet also embittered about the whole situation. If we can’t hold here and I survive the fight, it means I’ll be able to watch my daughter grow up…but then, I also won’t be fighting those damned Grimm. Most of my men would be sent to the front, while I’d be living the high life in London. Is that truly right?”

Diana shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee. “I’m only a cadet, sir. It’s not for me to say.”

A humorless chuckle. “True that.” He glanced into his mug, grimaced slightly, and brought it to his lips, finishing off the rest of his coffee. “Well, it’s half five, I’ve got PT to join with the lads, and I’m sure you’ve got your own things to do. Until breakfast, I imagine?”

“Yes, sir.”

He hopped off the stool and started to walk towards the sinks before pausing, looking over his shoulder. “Oh, before I forget. Your friend, the feisty one. She might want to keep her head down for a while, Daryl was quite put out by being ridiculed last night. She and Maryl might be out for blood. I don’t know if there’s much you can do to cool their tempers at all, but you might want to give it some thought.”

Diana groaned, her shoulders sagging. “I was afraid of that being a possibility. I’m glad that Akko didn’t come out and straight up insult her, but Aunt Daryl…well, she’s a very proud woman. Even a perceived slight against her might as well be attempted murder. I’ll have a word with her. Thank you for the warning, sir, I appreciate it.”

His lips quirked in a brief and warm grin before he continued walking, dropping off his mug at the sinks before he left. It didn’t take Diana very long to finish her own coffee after that, and before she left the warm, busy room, she made sure to instruct one of the staff to get Akko up prior to breakfast being served at 7:00. Then she was making her way towards that which was once the greatest secret of the Cavendish family but that was now well known, especially to the soldiers who fought against the Grimm: the hospital beneath the manor. How many service-members had been terribly mauled by some creature of Grimm only to receive treatment here, where life-threatening injuries were healed and where a wound that may very well have crippled for life was treated with such skill that the one who was injured was able to live a life unhampered by their terrible injury? If only the hospital wasn’t so busy all the time! How many had they turned away and sent to other clinics and hospitals simply because they had no more room? How many more could they have healed? It was a question that weighed heavily on her.

The double doors leading down to the hospital and the expansive Cavendish library was guarded by two heavily armed soldiers whose alert eyes betrayed no sign of fatigue, and despite her being the heiress of the Cavendish name, they still insisted on verifying her identity before they let her proceed. Any disrepair beyond those great doors had been fixed shortly after the Grimm War started, and where once a ruinous chasm would have greeted visitors, now a broad and level bridge with high railings stood. So, too, was the library beyond the bridge repaired, the standing water pumped from the room and the books restored to their original condition, and even now the doctors and nurses tending to the patients that lay on the beds of the hospital perused the tomes for knowledge on how to more effectively treat their patients. Diana gave them nods of greeting as she made her way to the hand washing station, making sure to very thoroughly wash her hands and forearms before she proceeded to the treatment area itself.

Diana’s heart twinged at the sight of the men and women that lay on the beds. Due to the very nature of this once secret hospital, they only took the most grievously injured patients from the frontlines. The soldiers here had sacrificed much in the way of flesh and blood and spirit, and there were several patients who cried out or groaned in pain from the deep wounds that rent their bodies. Even with the use of the most powerful healing magic, many of the patients were swaddled in bandages that had red leaking through pristine white, and the sanguine smell of blood lay heavy on the air, even with the robust ventilation systems that kept the air as fresh as possible. Here was the price that humanity paid to keep the beasts at bay, and it was with a sense of relief that Diana noticed that there were actually quite a few unoccupied beds. They wouldn’t ever turn away patients in need, so that meant that things were hopefully calm on the frontlines.

Diana moved amongst the patients, helping where she could, even if that was a murmured word of reassurance here, an answer to a question from a nurse or doctor there, or even a cool hand laid on the feverish brow of more than one soldier. And all the while, she _listened_, just as she had listened during her short visit the previous night. These soldiers were fresh from the front and pain and medicine loosened their tongues…they would speak the truth that others might try to hide.

Almost an hour later, she left, and as she dried her hands from a very thorough washing, she thought of what she had been told, noting that what the soldiers had said hadn’t changed from when she had made her rounds the previous evening. Apparently, the Grimm were both more _and_ less active. Less major assaults, but the monsters seemed all too willing to attack the defensive lines in a great many smaller groups, groups that were invariably completely destroyed, often with very little in the way of human casualties to show for the effort, which…well, it was troubling. The Grimm weren’t completely mindless, and had shown some sophistication in tactics and strategy before, as could be seen in previous major campaigns as well as what was currently going on in the mainland. So why the change? What were the Grimm trying to accomplish? If they were human, Diana would almost be tempted to say that they were testing the defensive lines for weaknesses, but then, humans conducting probing attacks would withdraw before suffering heavy casualties. The soldiers told her that the Grimm raids were completely wiped out to the last beast in almost every case with very little way in exception. So if these were probing attacks, how were the Grimm getting intelligence back to whatever it was that was coordinating them?

A flare of frustrated fury at the thought as she exited the double doors, only absently returning the greeting from the two guards. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even make note of the fact that they were different from the two before…there must have been a changing of the guard while she had been visiting the patients. Her teeth grit together as she climbed the stairs leading up to the main manor. If only they knew more about the Grimm! There was so much that they didn’t understand! Grimm bodies disappeared upon dying and they were so aggressive that it was next to impossible to actually capture one. Those few that _had_ been captured had dissipated within a week of captivity, almost as though they had been killed, even if no harm had come to them. It was a miracle that they knew as much as they did, and even that was little more than the different variations of the Grimm and their different abilities.

She stopped, then, standing at the top of the stairs as all the weight of her responsibilities and fear and doubt that was never far away came crushing down with scant warning, swallowing her up in dark despair.

What was she _doing_?

All the studying, all the training, all the trying desperately to prepare herself and others for what was coming…what worth was it, really? They were losing the war, and the addition of just one more witch wasn’t going to change that, no matter how skilled she was. Add on to the fact that she was also supposed to try and be the acting head of the Cavendish family at the same time, up until she finally did the ceremony to officially assume the role that her mother had once held…it seemed too much. It felt like grasping futilely at straws while the deadly reality of the war loomed menacingly ahead of her. She was trying so hard, but it simply wouldn’t be enough, would _never_ be enough, would it? For all of her striving for perfection, it wouldn’t be enough when they actually went to war.

She knew the odds. Better than most did, really. Luna Nova tried to shield its students from what was happening, but Diana had friends in high places who gave her reports that a cadet probably shouldn’t have access to, and she had spoken to the patients, had seen firsthand what the Grimm were capable of. She would deploy, she would fight, and she would die. So would all the others, and their sacrifice wouldn’t mean a damn thing if they couldn’t figure out how to actually defeat the Grimm. So what was she doing? How could she hope to measure up to the legacy of her family’s name? How could she measure up to-

The yearning was as sharp as a knife driven through the ribs: that sense of loss and anguish no less painful now than it had been when Anna had come into her room that terrible morning, her face wracked with grief.

…she wanted her mother. No, that wasn’t quite right, was it? She stifled the harsh sob that tore out of her throat in a strangled croak as she clenched her fists tightly, fighting the tears that gathered in her eyes. She didn’t want her _mother_. She wanted warm arms wrapped around her in soft embraces, she wanted a loving voice that soothed her in her times of fear and grief, she wanted the smell of old books with a hint of pine, she wanted to feel silken hair the color of her own pressed against her cheek. Diana wanted her _mom_.

And she was never going to get her back.

Gritting her teeth, she clenched her fists harder still, nails digging crescents into her palms as she bent her considerable will to regaining control. No one could see her like this, not when so many people were depending on her, not when so many saw her as the perfect Diana Cavendish. If she broke, then what would they do? It took a long, tense moment to stomp those feelings away, took a moment before the almost overpowering urge to cry dissipated, took a moment before she was able to focus more on duty than on futility, but she managed it. Her heart slowly came down from its galloping pace, and her breath stopped coming in frantic spurts. Feeling calmer now, she took a deep, deep breath before proceeding forward. It was almost breakfast.

xxxXXXxxx

Breakfast was a chaotic affair, but enjoyably lively for all of that. There seemed to be a dozen conversations all going on at once throughout, what between the Parkers and the Englands and the orphans who had practically kidnapped Akko the very moment that she had stepped into the room. Probably not a bad thing, honestly, Diana admitted to herself as she glanced once more to where Akko was seated in the midst of the children. She wasn’t certain quite what she was expecting, but the sight of Akko appearing in the doorway dressed in a thick woolen jumper and obscenely short red shorts that practically flaunted her long and muscular legs had made Diana’s heart jump in her chest, especially with how Akko was still suffering from a slight case of bedhead, the messy hair making Akko almost unfairly adorable. Diana had been spared having to try and function with any sort of coherence when a veritable wave of children had surrounded Akko, grabbing her hands and pulling her over to their section of the table. Now Diana was able to observe from afar, and Diana was grateful for the fact that Aunt Daryl and Maryl had wrapped themselves in cloaks of huffy indignation, barely grabbing any food before retiring from the room, leaving Diana blessedly alone. She was in no mood for conversation…would much rather sit and observe while eating, in fact.

They really took to Akko, didn’t they? Lizzie could be a handful at times, and it almost seemed as though the young girl with the cane exercised all the authority of a general, using her status as the very first orphan that Diana had accepted under her roof to great effect. All the orphans respected her word, and even the staff had learned to pay heed to her. There had been some others that Lizzie disliked immensely, but she had accepted Akko within minutes of meeting her. Diana chuckled quietly before she took a bite of her toast. Amusing how Lizzie was the one that she was actually concerned about when it came to accepting Akko. Her aunt was one thing, but little Lizzie not taking to Akko would have been worrying. Of course, in hindsight, it really was silly of her to be worried, wasn’t it? After all, Lizzie was an excellent judge of character. She couldn’t actually imagine the girl with the too-old eyes and the crippled leg not liking Akko.

Even now the two of them were seated together, Lizzie smirking amusedly as she ate, Akko energetically telling a story to the other orphans surrounding them, their faces rapt as they followed along, their breakfasts fairly ignored and going cold as they listened to whatever yarn Akko was weaving. A warm glow seized Diana’s heart at the sight, driving away the final vestiges of darkness from earlier away. It was at that moment that she knew for certain that bringing Akko to Cavendish Manor had been the right decision. Far better for her to be here than still at Luna Nova. It was so easy to see that Akko was really enjoying herself as she told her story. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth and her face was lit up, and Diana wanted to see her like that as often as possible.

The fondness that blossomed in her chest was surprising in its intensity. Diana had already known that Akko was strong and determined and true to her word. For her to also really click with the orphans and to both accept and be accepted by them so quickly…it meant a great deal to Diana, and only heightened the already high regard that Diana held for Akko. For a split second, there was a flutter of something at the edge of Diana’s awareness, a yearning desire for a thing that she didn’t quite want to name. It disappeared quickly, before Diana had the chance to properly process why she was hesitant to formally define it, and she frowned softly at the flutter of unease. What _was_ that?

Then one of the servers was at her elbow, asking if she wanted more eggs, and the thought was lost completely. Declining the offer, Diana turned her attention to her food, which had grown slightly cold in the time that she had been focused on Akko and the orphans. She failed to notice that both Hannah and Barbara were looking at her before they turned their attention to Akko and then to each other, their heads coming together as they talked quietly, their expressions more thoughtful than troubled…

The rest of the meal passed quickly enough, and soon Diana was smirking at the sight of Akko’s almost panicked expression as she was surrounded and carted off by the excitedly chattering horde that was going on about how they were gonna go explore the manor and show off all the cool stuff, starting with the massive fir tree that stood in the hall outside the dining room, the fir tree that the children had helped decorated earlier in the month. Akko threw one desperate glance towards Diana, but Diana merely lifted her hand and waggled her fingers as Akko was pulled through the door. If Diana had to guess, Akko wasn’t expecting quite that much enthusiastic energy from the group. Diana would see about rescuing her later if it was really needed, but she knew deep in her gut that Akko would benefit from being with the children for a while. And besides, Diana had her own work to see to.

Her mother’s study was a somber and dignified room, with dark wood paneling and tall bookshelves set in the walls. A thick carpet covered the floor, and visitors to the room had their attention drawn to the impressive mahogany desk that currently had sheaves of paper strewn across it. Diana looked at the paperwork for a moment before she nodded with determination, pausing only to get a tumbler of scotch on the rocks from the well-stocked liquor cabinet before she sat down at the desk. A lot went into running the manor, and while she did what she could from school, there was only so much that she could actually get done there. The majority of the work was taken over by Aunt Daryl and Anna while Diana was away, so thankfully most of this was merely familiarizing herself with the decisions that had been made in her absence.

The greenhouses on the property were doing well, producing fresh vegetables and fruits and medicinal herbs even this late in the season. A good harvest from the orchards and fields this year, which was also good, and the reason why she had been able to be so generous with her gifts to the front last night. Adam the groundskeeper was now a father, a healthy baby boy. She’d have to make sure to give her congratulations to him and his girlfriend in person. Anna’s grandchildren were doing well in London. Her blue eyes continued to scan the reports and papers, and she lost track of time as she worked, only occasionally pausing to take a sip of the excellent scotch as she got caught up and started working on the things that were awaiting her signature.

“Milady?”

She blinked, looking up to see Anna standing in the doorway. “Yes?”

“It’s lunch time, milady. Will you be joining us in the dining room?”

Diana looked down at the desk. If she kept up her current pace, she’d be able to get done sooner rather than later. If she got ahead of the backlog, then she’d be able to spend more time relaxing later on in the weeks ahead. “Mm, no. I’ll take some sandwiches in here, Anna, thank you.” Anna nodded, and turned to go. “Oh, wait, before you do that, did the gift for Akko come in?”

Anna glanced at her. “Yes, it did. It’s already been serviced as you asked and wrapped.” Her head tilted to the side. “Are you sure it’s something that’s altogether appropriate for the holiday?” she asked before pausing and giving a quick curtsy. “Pardoning my impertinence, milady.”

Diana smiled, lifting a soothing hand. “Quite alright, Anna. Your concern is understandable. It really is a tad unusual, isn’t it?” Her smile widened into a grin as her gaze dropped to the desk, not really seeing the papers that were strewn across its surface. “But for Akko? I feel as though it’s perfect.”

Again, Anna curtsied. “Very well, then, milady. I’ll get your sandwiches for you. Cranberry juice?”

“Please. Oh, and send Adam in when you get the chance. I’d like to congratulate him and discuss his bonus for newly becoming a father.” Her expression darkened slightly as she glanced at the northern wall. North…the direction that the Grimm lay in. “Perhaps an extended vacation in the London House or somewhere further from the Front. I’d feel happier getting the three of them out of here.”

Anna paused, resting her hand on the door frame, a worried expression on her face. “Is it truly that bad, milady?”

“Hm? Oh, not yet. At least, not that I’m aware of. If there was imminent threat of a Grimm breakthrough, then _all_ non-essential personnel would be evacuated from here, and there’d probably be an entire battalion quartered here, not just a platoon. Still, it might be something to consider. The more personnel we move south now, the fewer we have to do if it becomes necessary.” She bit her lip. “The Grimm are doing things that concern me,” she said with a frown as her pointer finger tapped out a slow and thoughtful tattoo on the desk’s top. Then she shrugged. “I’ll speak with Aunt Daryl about it. Sandwiches?”

Anna nodded. “Right away, milady,” she said with a final curtsy before she turned and left, leaving Diana alone with her thoughts. Yes, perhaps it was time to move some of the staff and the orphans out of Cavendish Manor. The London House would need staff for when Merrill gave birth, and she had political favors she could call in to make sure that all the staff could have places to go and still be employed. She knew that her staff were proud of their work, and would far rather continue to support the war effort than be refugees. Something to definitely discuss with Aunt Daryl. Part of the trick of being an effective leader was to seize the initiative and to stay one step ahead of the opposition. It would be better to have as few people as possible at Cavendish Manor to move if it actually became a necessity. Or worse, an _emergency_. The more steps she stayed ahead of the Grimm, the better. Mind made up, she returned to her work.

The next few days fell into an easy rhythm. She would get up in the morning and make her rounds before breakfast. After breakfast she would go to the study and work. Thankfully she was able to catch up on the backlog fairly quickly, so by Wednesday afternoon her schedule was freer, which meant spending more time with Hannah, Barbara, and Akko, as well as the Parkers, the Englands, and the orphans. Late afternoon was devoted to physical training, making sure that they were keeping fit and not losing any of their gains from Luna Nova. The weather turned cold and blustery, fluctuating between freezing rain and snow, which only served to make their runs that much more miserable, but they stuck to it with little complaint. The only particularly tense moment happened when Diana confronted her aunt and cousin, warning the two of them to leave Akko be, that she was Diana’s honored guest, and she wouldn’t tolerate any overt slights against her. It was obvious that Aunt Daryl and Maryl were very much displeased with the blatant order, but they complied with it, even if that compliance was obviously grudging. Thankfully Akko didn’t seem keen on starting anything with them; she largely avoided them where possibly and ignored the few veiled barbs that were thrown her way. Diana was grateful that Merrill’s character had improved for the better since her marriage to Lieutenant Crowther: it was clear that she wasn’t fond of Akko, but she didn’t go out of her way to harass her. In fact, it rather seemed like she was embarrassed by the antics of her mother and sister, which was a pleasant surprise.

All in all, the drama was kept to an acceptable low, and the days flew by until it was Thursday, Christmas Eve. All of Diana’s hard work at catching up paid off…she didn’t have anything pressing to work on, and so was able to spend the day surrounded by her friends and family, Aunt Daryl and Merrill seemed to agree that it was a good day for a cease fire, and so barely interacted with Akko at all, and when they absolutely had to, they were polite, if not a bit frosty. Diana would happily accept that!

It was a rainy, stormy day, and Diana couldn’t help but think of poor Andrew up on the frontlines, and she hoped that the food and spirits that she had donated were going a long way in bolstering morale. Thankfully the defensive lines had been stable for a while…Andrew was likely cold, but should have various prepared fighting positions and bunkers to at least stay dry. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty, spending the majority of the day in the ballroom while a fire roared merrily in the grand fireplace, keeping the room comfortable. They were all playing various board and card games, and Akko seemed to pass through her orbit like a cheerful meteor, more often than not playing some sort of game or telling a story with the orphans. It was warm, it was merry, and they were all safe. What more could she ask for?

Dinner was a fairly informal affair, and Diana insisted on maintaining a holiday tradition of her mother’s: the servants were to be seated and served first on Christmas Eve. To her surprise, Aunt Daryl offered scant resistance to the idea, and even seemed to take to the task with relish. She still had her air of vain superiority about her, but that was just a part of who Daryl _was_, and Diana didn’t think she’d ever be rid of that aspect of her character. Still, the older witch was an attentive server, making sure that the household and grounds staff had full cups and plates, which was a tad more than Diana had expected.

Akko had offered to serve beside Diana, but Diana had gently turned her down. This was something that they had to do as Cavendishes. The only reason that Lieutenant Crowther was up there with them was because he had married into the family. Akko was a guest. Though…for a brief moment, Diana couldn’t help but imagine Akko standing next to her, a pitcher of juice or a bowl of mashed potatoes or a platter of steaming meat in her arms and a beaming smile on her face as she helped service the staff that ran Cavendish Manor. It was a pleasant thought, one that filled Diana with warmth before she dismissed it as an unlikely fantasy. Diana was terribly fond of Akko, but that would be taking their friendship a lot farther than where it was now, and she wouldn’t dare to assume that Akko would reciprocate her…

Diana blinked, glancing up to where Akko was talking with Barbara, both their expressions friendly enough as Barbara’s parents looked on. So that’s what it had been the other day. The more that Diana got to know who Akko really was, the more she cared for her, each new situation that the two of them were put in revealing another sparkling facet of the Japanese witch’s personality. She cared for Akko far more deeply than she had for anyone else she had ever known, certainly more than Hannah and Barbara. Those two seemed almost eager to put Diana on a pedestal she wasn’t actually worthy of. Akko treated her far more like an equal, giving deference only to her cadet status, not to who she was as a _person_. Not to mention that Akko was undeniably _very_ attractive…those legs of hers alone! And yet…for all that Diana truly cared deeply for Akko, the place beyond mere friendship filled Diana with a slight feeling of dread. There was just so much that could go wrong. No, logic dictated that it would better to hold her close as a very dear friend, especially since Akko didn’t treat her any differently than her other friends.

Akko noticed her gaze and gave a dazzling smile, one that Diana answered with a warm grin. Yes. This was the right choice, even if her heart only grudgingly accepted that logic.

xxxXXXxxx

The last thing that Diana expected the next morning was for Akko to be the one to wake her up, and yet, shortly before five, her door was thrown open, revealing a visibly excited Akko. “It snowed last night!” she fairly crowed as Diana sat up in bed, eyes squinted against the light that poured into her room from the hall.

There were a great many things she could have said in response to the unexpected awakening, most of them expressing surprise and some of them slightly uncharitable given the abrupt nature of Akko’s idea of a wake-up call. Despite her slightly groggy state, Diana settled on a more neutral option. “It did?”

Ah, yes, Diana. A master of eloquence, you are.

For her part, Akko took no heed of the monosyllabic nature of Diana’s response, and she instead hustled into the room, muscular legs flashing in the light (seriously, did she _have_ to insist on wearing _those_ short shorts?) as she made her way to the tall windows facing the grounds, throwing open the curtains before turning and looking almost expectantly at Diana.

Diana sent her an unamused look in return. “Akko, the sun isn’t going to break the horizon for another three hours and…” she glanced at her clock, “…twenty-five minutes. It’s dark out there, I can’t see anything out the window.”

Akko laughed. “You mean you can’t see anything from your bed! Come on, stop being a Scrooge, you can definitely see the snow if you get up.”

Diana spluttered indignantly at that. “I’m not being a-! Ugh, fine, I’ll get out of bed. I was going to be getting up at this time anyway.” With a gusty sigh, she threw back her covers and got out of bed, joining Akko at the window. Sure enough, there was a dusting of white on the ground that was visible even in the pre-dawn darkness, though Diana noted that the trees that she could see from the window seemed to be more iced than covered in snow. Hopefully no one needed to drive in that, she’d bet anything the roads were extremely slick. Still, it was quite picturesque.

Akko’s grin had gone from excited to almost serene. “A white Christmas. Didn’t have too many of those where I live in Japan. It would get cold, of course, but…”

Diana hummed softly. “It’s actually fairly rare for it to snow all that much here, to be honest. Several of the winters recently have seen no snow at all.” Her eyes roved the frozen landscape. The sunrise would likely be very beautiful, like a field of diamonds. “I’ve heard stories of the northeast United States getting more than two full meters of snow over a winter. I can’t even imagine what that would look like.” She paused thoughtfully. “And that’s to say nothing about up in the Alps where some places get more than _ten_ meters of snow.”

“Perhaps we’ll get the chance to see that someday.”

Diana glanced at Akko before looking out the window again. “Not just perhaps, but hopefully. Hopefully we’ll get that chance.” Again, she paused, and the two of them stood there silently, enjoying the view and each other’s company. This was nice. Funny how the small moments like these seemed to help keep the fear and doubt away. Diana was glad that she hadn’t had an attack since that morning, but she definitely felt that she wouldn’t have another, so long as Akko was standing next to her.

“Milady?” Anna’s voice behind them had Diana turning, looking back to see her peering at the two of them curiously. “Your door was open.” Her expression turned slightly flat and accusatory as she focused on Akko, who grinned sheepishly. “The cooler air from the hall was being let in to your room.”

“Eh-heh…sorry about that.”

“No worries,” Diana said as she turned away from the window and the frozen wonderland outside. “It’s time we got ready for the day, anyway. Akko, I’ll meet you for breakfast? I have some things to do.”

“Actually…can I join you?”

Diana paused at the hopeful note in Akko’s voice, and turned to look at her. “Oh, well, I’m just going to go and make sure the patients in the hospital are doing well. You don’t have to come along.”

“But I want to.”

The statement was so matter-of-fact that it actually took Diana slightly by surprise, as did the determined glint in Akko’s eyes and the set of her jaw. She wasn’t just saying it, she actually wanted to join Diana. This was…unexpected. Diana glanced at Anna to see her watching the two of them, her face kept carefully blank. “If you want to, than far be it from me to stop you,” Diana finally said, voice soft as the logical choice she had made earlier cracked slightly in the face of the earnestness in Akko’s voice. “I’m sure that the soldiers will greatly appreciate your visit.”

And so they did, Diana was pleased to see some twenty minutes later. Akko listened attentively to Diana’s instructions and made sure to wash her hands and forearms just as Diana did, but once they got into the ward beyond, she seemed to be a blur of joyful, exuberant energy, bringing a special light and warmth to the otherwise somber place. Diana didn’t know just how Akko did it, but she left a trail of smiles and laughter in her wake as she very enthusiastically cheered up the wounded. It was actually incredibly effective, she noted absently as she followed after Akko. Her dear friend raised their spirits, and Diana was able to cement them with her gentler, quieter reassurances and encouragements. When they left the hospital, the charge nurse took them aside to thank them, saying that this was the happiest and most relaxed she’d seen the patients, and that it was greatly appreciated, especially given the day.

Then they were climbing the stairs back up to the manor, and the warm smile ran away from Akko’s face. “It’s tragic,” she murmured, voice soft so that it didn’t carry in the curving stone stairwell, her face tired and eyes somber. “They could have all been home with their families today, if not for the Grimm.”

There really wasn’t much that could be said in response to that, and so Diana reached out and grasped Akko’s hand. “Thank you for what you did. It meant a lot to them.” Akko shot her a startled glance before smiling softly and gently squeezing Diana’s hand. They would let go once they reached the main corridor, but the warm sensation of Akko’s calloused palm against Diana’s would linger teasingly, filling her belly with butterflies, and widening the crack in the wall of logic. Why did Akko have to be such a good person? The question wouldn’t dissipate until they entered the dining hall and she was sufficiently distracted by food.

Breakfast was kept simple this morning, so as to leave room for the main meal in the early afternoon, a full Christmas Dinner that the cooks would undoubtedly go all out on, replete with roast goose and stuffing and mashed potatoes and vegetables galore, not to mention the plum puddings and trifles for desert. But for all its simplicity, the breakfast spread of porridge and fresh fruits and pastries was hearty and filling. For once, the children left Akko alone, and she joined Diana, Hannah, and Barbara for breakfast, Hannah and Barbara rolling their eyes and Diana discretely smiling at just how much sugar Akko added to her porridge.

Diana didn’t miss how as the meal went on the children began to get more and more restless, glancing towards the doors that led to the hall where the tree and all the presents awaited. Diana was slightly tempted to take her time eating just to tease them, but then, she was just as eager to see the reactions of those that she got presents for as they were to open them. Thus, she wasted no time in finishing her food, and soon the lot of them moved into the next room, the children sitting closest to the grand tree, with the adults ranging further back. With a grin stretching her mouth wide, Diana got to work.

She had tried to get a little something for everyone. Toys and books for the children that matched their myriad interests, Lizzie in particular giving her a shy, grateful smile at the rare and fabulously soft and brilliantly colored yarn and brand new set of knitting needles. With her leg, she struggled to keep up with the others at times, and had picked up knitting and crocheting to keep her hands busy, and was already mastering the craft, despite her young age. Diana had the feeling that there would be a sudden increase in new scarves for those that lived in the manor within the next few weeks.

Hannah seemed quite pleased with her swagger stick that Diana had commissioned at Luna Nova, and Diana knew that she’d put it to good use on the parade ground once they got their recruits assigned to them in March. Barbara squealed in delight at the extremely hard to come by signed copy of one of the rarer volumes of _Nightfall_. Diana wouldn’t admit it, but Barbara’s gift was actually the most expensive out of the lot of them. Some things were nearly impossible to get a hold of, and with most of the world shifting production towards war industries, things like novels had taken a back seat. To get a copy of a volume of the expansive series that was actually signed by Annabel Crème had been almost impossible, but the look on Barbara’s face as she held the book close to her chest, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes while she thanked Diana was worth every bit of effort (and having to outbid some ‘Big Ben’ fellow in an auction) that it took to get it.

The pile of presents under the tree was dwindling quickly as everyone passed out the gifts that they had gotten each other, and the hall was filled with a merry fervor. Aunt Daryl had pursed her lips at the golden framed reading glasses that had small peridots and emeralds set in them before she nodded her thanks as she accepted them. Merrill had actually laughed at the large box of diapers that Diana had brought in from another room and then cooed at the bibs that were enchanted to be self-cleaning and that had cute saying and pictures stitched into them. Maryl grudgingly accepted the new broom…her old one was due for a replacement. Anna had smiled broadly at the shawl that was enchanted to stay warm and the collection of rare teas for her private collection, and the older woman accepted the hug that Diana impulsively threw over her shoulders.

But then, finally, it was Akko’s turn. The Japanese witch had been sitting slightly separate from everyone else, and had been watching the exchange of gifts with delight that she wasn’t even trying to hide. She had even received some trinkets from the orphans, mainly drawings and small toys that they had made for her in the few days that they had had since meeting her. Diana bit her lower lip in anticipation as she retrieved the narrow box that was just over a foot long. Heart pounding in her chest, she turned and started to walk towards where Akko was sitting, and bright crimson eyes turned to meet her gaze, only to widen almost comically as they dropped down to the festively wrapped box in Diana’s hands.

“N-nani?” she stammered, and Diana quirked a brow at how Akko actually blushed.

“What’s with that reaction?” she asked with an amused smile.

“Oh! Um…sorry, it’s just that in Japan Christmas is largely seen as a romantic holiday,” Akko said, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish grin as her blush deepened. “I wasn’t expecting anything from anyone, so I didn’t get anyone anything.” She winced apologetically. “Gomen ne.”

Diana was now blushing as well. “Oh. I see.” She pulled the box back towards her chest as she mulled that one over. On the one hand, she had already gotten pretty much everyone else something, but on the other hand, if Akko would see it as a romantic gesture…but really, was that such a bad thing? Even if logically she knew that romantic feelings towards Akko was a terrible idea, it seemed like every day Akko did something that put a crack into that logic. So actually, that could work. She could use the cultural differences between England and Japan as a cover, but if Akko subconsciously had the idea of being a romantic partner with her, then she could decide for herself if that was something she’d be interested in. Let Akko think it over and come to her own conclusion. Feeling pleased with the idea, Diana extended her arms. How to word this…? “Well, it would be a shame if you didn’t take it, given that I got it just for you. I want you to have it, even with the differences between our cultures.” There. She didn’t state that she specifically got it for her as a friend, nor did she say that she got it as a romantic gesture. Well played, if she said so herself.

Akko’s crimson eyes stared up into Diana’s blue eyes, her normally expressive face now only showing a thoughtfulness that wasn’t commonly attributed to the usually energetic witch. The both of them were so focused on one another that neither of them noticed how those around them had grown quieter as they looked on curiously, in particular Anna, Barbara, and Hannah, who were all watching with laser focus. Then Akko reached out slowly, gently accepting the gift from Diana. “Arigatō gozaimasu, Diana,” she whispered just loudly enough for Diana to hear, a pretty blush spread across the cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Then she was removing the wrapping paper with a care that was unlike her, revealing the plain box underneath. She lifted the lid away, and gasped. “Oh, Diana, it’s perfect.”

Diana felt her shoulders sag in relief at those words. After all, a fighting knife wasn’t a standard Christmas present, was it? “It’s a Fairbairn-Sykes,” she said as Akko lifted the knife from the box, drawing it from its plain leather sheath that had belt loops cut into it. She admired the darkly colored, acutely tapered and sharply pointed blade as Diana went on. “You’ll recognize it as the official fighting knife of the SAS, and by extension, the SMS Witches. Eighteen centimeter blade and twenty-nine centimeters overall, reports state that it can penetrate the thick fur of some of the more common species of Grimm. I’ve had it enchanted so that it won’t rust and so that it is much harder to damage or to break than a normal knife. I have full confidence that you will be able to proudly wear that as an SMS Witch in just over a year.” She paused, smiling at the obvious delight on Akko’s face as she continued to inspect the knife. “Merry Christmas, Akko.”

Akko looked up at her, and Diana’s breath caught in her throat at the beaming smile and the tears gathered in crimson eyes. “Thank you, Diana! I’ll treasure this for the rest of my life!”

A flash of light, and they both jumped slightly, looking over to see Barbara grinning from behind her phone that was facing them. “That was a great picture, you two!”

Diana flushed as she started to march menacingly towards her friend, who was already dancing back while laughing heartily. “Barbara Nicole Parker, you delete that photo right this instant!”

“And lose such a candid memory? Not on your life!” came the answer, and soon there was a game of keep-away going on, Diana playing along despite the wand that hung at her hip, the wand that would have very easily magically summoned the phone to her. It was nice, relaxing and having fun like this, she thought as she vainly tried to jump and catch the phone as it sailed over her head, the children laughing and shrieking in glee at their antics. She was so occupied with the impromptu game that she missed how Akko reverently sheathed the knife before clutching it to her chest as she glanced over at Diana, a deeply tender expression that went far beyond friendship on her face as she watched Diana play the game with her friends.

How blessed were they, to have such a merry Christmas? All of them gathered there that day would cherish the memories made within these warm walls for the rest of their lives…however long that would end up being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this one took a hot minute to write! It's definitely one of the longest chapters I've written for any story thus far, that's for certain! The only chapter that I'm aware of being longer than this one (8712 words) is _Battle For Arcturus Forest, pt. III_ from . Not bad, huh? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite it being published six months before (or after, if you'd prefer) Christmas. 
> 
> Happy holidays! ;-)


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